Iran, Russia, Turkey to Discuss Syria in Sochi


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Representatives of Iran, Russia, and Turkey, the three guarantor states for the Syrian ceasefire, will meet in Sochi, Russia, on Monday to discuss issues regarding the formation of the Syrian constitutional committee, a report said.

It added that the three nations would also exchange view about the situation in de-escalation zones as well as humanitarian issues, the Tass news agency reported.

On the first day of the talks, expert consultations will take place. On July 31, there will be a plenary session.

"The participants will exchange opinions on the process of facilitating inter-Syrian dialogue based on the Resolution 2254 of the UN Security Council and the decisions of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi. They will continue the discussion of further steps in the interest of launching the constitutional committee as soon as possible, as a key element of promoting political regulation of the Syrian crisis," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. 

The Russian delegation is headed by Russia's Special Presidential Envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin. The Iranian and Turkish delegations are led by deputy foreign ministers Hossein Jaberi Ansari and Sedat Onal respectively.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura and delegates from Jordan will act as observers. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has also been invited to the meeting.