Presidents of Russia, Iran and Turkey hold Syria talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin told his counterparts from Turkey and Iran on Wednesday that there was a need for peaceful dialog between the opposing forces in Syria’s civil war.

Putin also told Turkey’s Tayyip Erdogan and Iran’s Hassan Rouhani in a televised video conference that hot spots of terrorism remain in Syria’s Idlib and other regions.

“An inclusive inter-Syrian dialog should be actively promoted within the framework of the constitutional committee in Geneva. I propose supporting this process, to help participants meet and start a direct dialog,” Putin said.

In Syria’s nine-year-old war, Russia, Iran, and Turkey under a diplomatic process dating back to 2017 agreed to work to reduce fighting.

In a joint statement released by the Kremlin, Russia, Turkey, and Iran “expressed the conviction” that Syria’s war had no military solution and has to be settled only via a political process.