The Kremlin on Tuesday announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to Tehran on July 19 with Iran President Ebrahim Raisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The leaders will attend a Syria summit.
“The president’s visit to Tehran is being planned for July 19,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. He said the trio would meet for peace talks on Syria.
The three countries have been holding talks on Syria under the so-called “Astana peace process” to end a more than 11 years on conflict in the country. Visit to Tehran will be Vladimir Putin’s second visit abroad since the start of Ukraine conflict. Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. Putin visited Tajikistan in late June.
The Kremlin said Putin will also hold separate talks with Erdogan in Tehran, without providing more details.
The Turkish leader has been offering to meet Putin for months, as Ankara tries to mediate between Russia and Ukraine.
News of Putin’s Iran visit has come just when United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has agreed to to extend a vital system for cross-border aid to war-ravaged Syria by six months.
“Russia forced the hand of everyone. Either close the mechanism or only six months. We cannot let people die,” one ambassador told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The aid delivery mechanism across Turkey’s border into rebel-held Syria at the Bab al-Hawa crossing is the only way United Nations assistance can reach civilians without navigating areas controlled by Syrian government forces.
The system, in place since 2014, had expired on Sunday.
(With inputs from agencies)
