Russia backs Iran's involvement in Türkiye-Syria talks, says Lavrov

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The involvement of Russia and Iran in the normalization talks between Türkiye and Syria is "absolutely logical," Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said yesterday (January 31).

"Russia, Iran, and Turkey are members of the Astana troika, which has been handling the Syrian settlement. Therefore, I consider it absolutely logical that any further communication on bringing relations between Turkey and Syria back to normal will also involve Russia and Iran," Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow after meeting his counterpart from Egypt, as quoted by Russia's state-run TASS agency.

"As for the timeframes and specific formats of participation, be it at the military, diplomatic or any other level, they are currently being specified. We have a full understanding that it is necessary to move step by step so that every step forward should yield specific, albeit minor, results," he further said.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had also said Iran might join the talks.

In late December, defense ministers and intelligence chiefs of Russia, Türkiye and Syria met in Moscow in what was the highest-level meeting between Ankara and Damascus since the beginning of the war in Syria. (SD/VK)