The leaders of Türkiye, Iran and Russia will come together on July 19 in Tehran to exchange views on the state of affairs in Syria amid Ankara’s vows of an impending military operation against the terrorists as well as on the ongoing Ukraine war amid efforts to create secure corridors for the export of Ukrainian grain to world markets.
Hosted by Iran, the Astana Summit will bring President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi together. This will be the seventh trilateral summit at the level of presidents of the Astana Summit since its foundation in 2017. It will be Raisi’s first participation in the Astana Summit.
“The recent developments in Syria, the fight against the terrorist organizations, particularly PKK/YPG and DAESH, which pose a threat to the regional security, efforts aimed at a political resolution, the humanitarian situation and the voluntarily return of the Syrians to their homes will be on the agenda of the summit,” read a statement issued by the Turkish Presidency late on July 17.
The summit comes at a moment when the Turkish army is poised to launch a new military offensive against the YPG presence in Tal Rifat and Manbij provinces of northern Syria. Erdoğan had already announced that cleansing these areas from the terrorists was essential for the security of the Turkish borders, recalling the protocols Ankara signed with both Moscow and Washington in 2019, which stipulate the removal of YPG terrorists from the said provinces.
Russia and Iran have voiced their opposition to a new military operation by Türkiye with fears that it could destabilize the region. Iran and Russia are staunch supporters of the Assad regime. Both lend military support to Damascus.
The United States is also against the operation on the grounds that it could undermine the ongoing struggle against ISIL. The YPG is the U.S. local partner in the fight against the ISIL.
Constitutional process also on agenda
The leaders will also discuss the joint efforts for the reconciliation of the Syrian regime and opposition groups through Geneva-based Constitutional Committee meetings under Article 2254 of the U.N. Security Council.
Türkiye has long been pressing Russia to push the Syrian government for a compromise with the oppositional groups. However, there has been no visible outcome of the U.N.-led talks.
Erdoğan-Putin to hold bilateral meet
On the sidelines of the summit, Turkish and Russian presidents will also hold a bilateral meeting. It will be the first in-person meeting between Erdoğan and Putin since the Russian invasion of Ukraine started on Feb. 24.
Türkiye has long been actively mediating between Ukraine and Russia for ending the armed conflict and exporting Ukrainian wheat to the world markets. Defense Minister Hulusi Akar announced that the two sides agreed on technical details of the food corridor and are expected to sign a deal this week.
Erdoğan and Putin will surely discuss the progress made in creating secure corridors as well as the economic and political impacts of the ongoing war.
Türkiye-Iran high-level talks
Earlier on July 19, Erdoğan and Raisi co-chaired the Türkiye-Iran High-Level Cooperation Council with the participation of relevant ministers from both sides.
“All aspects of the Türkiye-Iran relations and potential steps that would enhance the bilateral cooperation will be discussed during the Council Meeting, which will be held with the participation of relevant ministers,” the presidential statement read.
Hurriyet Daily News