Turkey to host Iranian foreign minister

ANKARA

Turkey will host Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on June 14-15 ahead of a planned Astana summit to be held via videoconference. Zarif will be in Istanbul on June 14-15, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“During the visit, all aspects of our bilateral relations will be discussed and views on regional and international issues will be exchanged,” the ministry added.

Turkey, Russia, and Iran plan to hold an online trilateral summit with participation of their leaders aiming to discuss Idlib and the efforts for new Syrian constitution, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on June 11.

The minister said it was Iran’s turn to host the next Astana summit, but now the idea is to hold a trilateral meeting via videoconference due to the pandemic.

Ankara and Moscow had agreed for the leaders’ videoconference, now they expect Iran to respond for the date, the minister said.

Stressing the significance of the political process in Syria, the minister said, “The regime needs to approach the process sincerely. It is important that the ceasefire continues, and we are working on it.”