Preparations are underway for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to meet in April in Turkey, RIA news agency said on Monday, quoting Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Reuters reported. The three countries' foreign ministers are due to meet in Kazakhstan in two weeks to prepare the ground for the Istanbul summit on Syria, the TASS news agency reported earlier on Monday, citing Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. The three countries are working together to try to push the troubled Syrian peace process forward. Putin and his Turkish counterpart discussed Syria by phone on Monday. In addition, Rouhani discussed the latest developments in the Arab country with Erdogan on the same day, calling for joint efforts to help stabilize the war-torn state and enhance regional security. Iran and Turkey pursue similar goals in regard to regional and international issues and should work together to prevent terrorist groups from regrouping, Rouhani said, according to his official website. The Turkish president stated that Ankara, Tehran, and Moscow should continue their cooperation to help resolve the crisis in Syria.
