• Vladimir Putin will meet with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts to discuss the Syrian situation.
• Russia, Turkey, and Iran have met in recent years to talk about Syria as part of the so-called “Astana peace process,” which aims to end the conflict in the Arab country.

TEHRAN: Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts on Tuesday to talk about the situation in the Syria war, even though there is still fighting in Ukraine.

Russia, Turkey, and Iran have met in recent years to talk about Syria as part of the so-called “Astana peace process,” which aims to end the 11-year conflict in the Arab country.

Russia and Iran are assisting the Damascus administration against its opponents, while Turkey is on the side of the rebels in Syria.

The summit on Tuesday is happening because Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would start a military offensive against Kurdish rebels in northern Syria.

Iran’s President, Ebrahim Raisi, who is hosting the gathering, has already warned that any military intervention by Turkey in Syria might “destabilise the region.”

[embedpost slug=”russian-troops-capture-another-briton-in-ukraine/”]

Erdogan will get the opportunity to meet with Putin for the first time since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February.

Since the start of the war, the Turkish president has been offering for months to meet with the Russian president in an effort to defuse the heightened global tensions.

“The timing of this summit is no coincidence,” Vladimir Sotnikov, a Russian expert, told AFP.

“Turkey wants to conduct a ‘special operation‘ in Syria just as Russia is implementing a ‘special operation‘ in Ukraine,” he claimed.

Since 2016, Turkey has launched waves of assaults against Syria, targeting Kurdish militias, Islamic State group jihadists, and pro-Bashar al-Assad forces.

[embedpost slug=”zelensky-dismisses-two-officials-for-collaboration-with-russia/”]