Russian, Turkish, Iranian leaders to discuss Syria in Sochi November 22 - Kremlin

MOSCOW, November 16. /TASS/. Presidents of Russia, Turkey and Iran Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hassan Rouhani will meet in Sochi on November 22 to discuss the settlement in Syria, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday. "I confirm that we are talking about the Syrian settlement guarantor nations, with Syria being on the agenda," the Kremlin spokesman said when asked to confirm reports by some Turkish media outlets concerning plans for a meeting in Sochi on November 22. "Yes, November 22," he added. Meanwhile, the Kremlin press service reported that the three leaders will have "a detailed exchange of views on the Syrian settlement, in particular, taking into account the joint productive work in the Astana format." "Against the backdrop of the achievements in the war on terror and a notable reduction in the level of violence in Syria, it is planned to discuss further steps to ensure a long-term normalization of the situation in that country," the press service stressed. Peskov explained that the upcoming meeting was unrelated to the Syrian National Dialogue Congress. "This is a separate event," he said, adding that the date for the congress has not been agreed on. He drew attention to the fact that the November 13 Putin-Erdogan meeting in Sochi and the upcoming trilateral talks are different meetings. "These are different meetings, a different format. The issue at hand now is the trilateral format, because these countries - Russia, Iran and Turkey - are the guarantors of the process to ensure a political settlement, stability and security in Syria, which we observe now," he noted. Peskov declined to answer the question whether any document will be prepared following this meeting. Turkish media earlier reported that Erdogan would pay a visit to Russia on November 22, while Sochi is expected host the trilateral summit on the Syrian ceasefire. Read more