TEHRAN – Diplomats from Iran, Syria, Turkey, and Russia held a joint meeting in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Syria.

The four-way meeting on Syria began at the level of deputy foreign ministers.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov delivered the opening speech of the meeting, which was held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Moscow talks will serve as a prelude to the upcoming meeting between the foreign ministers of the four countries, according to the Turkish Anadolu news agency. 

Citing diplomatic sources, Anadolu indicated that the parties will exchange views on the agenda that the ministers can meet and the areas of cooperation that they can consider.

Earlier on Monday, Ali Asghar Khaji, the Iranian foreign minister’s senior advisor for special political affairs, who had traveled to Moscow at the head of a delegation to attend the four-way meeting, met separately with the deputy foreign ministers of Russia, Syria and Turkey.

On Monday, Khaji met with Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akçapar and his entourage. In the meeting, Khaji and Akçapar emphasized the historical relations between Iran and Turkey and discussed issues of mutual interest including bilateral ties and regional developments, the Iranian foreign ministry said. 

Khaji reaffirmed Iran’s sound policy that is premised on the need for Turkey and Syria to resolve their disputes politically. He said Iran is ready to play an effective role in pushing for the normalization of ties between Ankara and Damascus.

The Turkish deputy foreign minister, for his part, stressed the importance of the role of the Astana peace process in the Syria crisis. Akçapar said Iran and Turkey should strengthen their coordination in this regard.

Khaji also met with Ayman Sosan, the Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister, and his entourage. Khaji and Sosan held talks over bilateral ties as well as political and international developments surrounding Syria. Khaji welcomed the thawing of Syria’s relations with other countries and the strengthening of stability and security in Syria.

Iran is resolved to continue its support for the dialog between Damascus and Ankara to resolve their disputes through dialogue, the career diplomat noted.

In the meeting, the deputy foreign minister of Syria outlined the latest policies of his country regarding the four-way talks and underscored the necessity of more coordination between Tehran and Damascus.

Also on Monday, Khaji met with Mikhail Bagdanov, the special envoy of the Russian president for West Asia and his entourage.

Khaji and Bagdanov held talks over the latest developments in Syria and the broader region.

Participants in the meeting also underlined the need for the peaceful resolution of differences and for political dialog between Turkey and Syria. They further announced their support for efforts to normalize ties between Ankara and Damascus within the framework of the four-way meetings and based on international law and good neighborliness.

Iran has recently appointed a new ambassador to Syria. Hossein Akbari, the new Iranian Ambassador to Syria, has met with Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian before departing for the country of his mission.

In the meeting, Amir Abdollahian referred to strategic relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Arab Republic of Syria, stressing the need for increased efforts to strengthen the ties as much as possible, especially in the economic and trade fields. The new Iranian ambassador to Damascus also gave a report on the latest state of ties between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Syria. Akbari also outlined the new plans to boost ties with Syria in all spheres.