FMs of Iran, Russia, Turkey Meet in Astana

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Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Russia and Turkey met in Astana, Kazakhstan to address developments in Syria prior to the summit where leaders of the three countries will convene on April 4 in İstanbul.

The Astana meeting was held one day after European Parliament’s call on Turkey to withdraw from Afrin, and three weeks after United Nation’s call for ceasefire in Syria.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov said that “eyes of millions of Syrians are on the Astana”.

50 thousand civilians 30 thousand of whom in Afrin and 20 thousand in Eastern Ghouta have had to abandon their homes and try to move away from the conflict zones in the last two days.

A motion urging Turkey to end its Afrin operation and withdraw from the regions was approved in the voting held at the EP yesterday (March 15).

In response to a journalist who asked “Isn’t this operation against the territorial integrity of Syria?” and voiced the claim that “Diplomats from Turkey attempted to kidnap two people in Switzerland” in the press conference in Astana today, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said, “You speak like a FETÖ (Fethullahist Terrorist Organization) member. I don’t respond to questions asked in a way that a FETÖ member would”. (ŞA/TK)