Turkish, Russian, Iranian foreign ministers to meet again in Astana

MOSCOW – Anadolu Agency

The Turkish, Russian, and Iranian ministers will again come together to discuss Syria at a meeting in the Kazakh capital Astana in March, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mihail Bogdanov said on Feb. 12. 

The exact date in March has not been agreed upon by the sides yet. 

Among possible topics on the agenda, Bogdanov cited the “extension of safe zones in Syria.” 

Regarding a possible Turkish military operation into Idlib province, Bogdanov said this is “above all a subject for discussion between servicemen.” 

Idlib falls within a network of “de-escalation zones” endorsed by Turkey, Russia and Iran in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited. 

Controlled largely by armed anti-regime groups, Idlib has remained the target of intense airstrikes for the last two months. In January alone, 211 civilians were killed and another 1,447 injured. 

Syria has been locked in a devastating conflict that began in 2011.