Erdoğan due in Tehran to meet Iranian and Russian counterparts

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will pay an official visit to Iran on July 18-19 at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi, the Turkish Presidency said on Sunday.

Erdoğan and Raisi will co-chair the seventh meeting of the Türkiye-Iran High-Level Cooperation Council in Tehran on July 19, the presidency said in a statement.

"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," it added.

Besides the bilateral relations, regional and global matters will also be discussed, according to the statement.

On the same day, Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the seventh trilateral summit meeting in Astana format to be hosted by the Iranian president, the statement said.

The recent developments in Syria, fight against terror groups, particularly YPG/PKK and Daesh/ISIS, which pose a threat to regional security, efforts aimed at a political resolution, the humanitarian situation and the voluntarily return of Syrians to their homes will be on the agenda of the summit, it added.

The Turkish president will also hold a bilateral meeting with his Russian counterpart on the sidelines of the summit.

The Astana talks for peace in Syria were launched in 2017 at the initiative of these three countries. Its meetings also contribute to the advancement of the UN-led diplomatic process in Geneva.

Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters with unexpected ferocity.