Turkish, Russian, Iranian foreign ministers to meet in Astana on March 14

A summit between foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia and Iran will take place in two weeks in Astana, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Monday.

"In two weeks in Astana, the three guarantor countries will meet at the foreign ministers level in order to reduce the level of tension in Syria and pave the way for holding a [leaders'] summit in Istanbul," Zarif said.

Shortly after Zarif's comments, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesperson Bekir Bozdağ announced after a cabinet meeting that the trilateral foreign ministers summit with take place on March 14.

Meanwhile, Russian news agency RIA reported late Monday quoting Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov that preparations are underway for the presidents of Turkey, Russia and Iran to meet in Istanbul in April.

Syrian opposition backer Turkey and the Assad regime's main allies Iran and Russia have launched the Syrian peace process in Astana, which aims to complement the U.N.-brokered talks in Geneva, to bring an end to the almost seven-year conflict in the country.

The three countries held a series of summits in Russia's Black Sea city of Sochi, aiming to bring together the conflicting parties in Syria.

Turkey, Russian and Iran also agreed to establish so-called de-escalation zones across Syria, hoping to limit the violence in the country.