MOSCOW, February 8. /TASS/. The presidents of Russia, Iran and Turkey - Vladimir Putin, Hassan Rouhani and Recep Tayyip Erdogan - will discuss Washington’s plans to withdraw troops from Syria at their meeting in Sochi on February 14, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin told reporters on Friday.
"I think the focus will be on ways to prevent destabilization and chaos and retaining control of the situation if US troops leave the country," he said. "I would put it this way - there is a need to ensure the security of all countries and all parties," the senior Russian diplomat added.
"The presidents will outline the agenda themselves," he went on to say. "However, it clearly will include the assessment of developments on the ground and further steps the three guarantor countries of the Astana process can take to stabilize the situation and prevent terrorist activities across Syria," Vershinin noted.
According to him, the political process in Syria and the country’s post-war reconstruction are also expected to be discussed. "We have been emphasizing the need to provide humanitarian assistance to Syria regardless of political demands," the Russian deputy foreign minister noted. "We also talk about the return of Syrian refugees to their homes. The process continues though not everyone is pleased with it," he said.
In addition, the three leaders may also touch open plans to carry out a military operation in Idlib.
The first meeting of the Astana trio (Russia, Iran and Turkey) was held in Sochi on November 22, 2017. The second summit took place in the Turkish capital of Ankara on April 4, 2018. The three leaders adopted a joint statement following the meeting, expressing determination to continue their cooperation. The third Russian-Turkish-Iranian summit on resolving the Syria issue was held in Tehran on September 7, 2018.