Moscow Welcomes Russia-Syria-Turkey Summit

Moscow welcomed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s proposal for a Russia-Syria-Turkey summit, a senior Russian diplomat said on Friday.

Asked about how Russia viewed the Turkish leader’s initiative, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who is also a special representative of the Russian president for the Middle East and Africa, replied: "Positively."

Bogdanov affirmed that Moscow has been in talks with Damascus to arrange such a meeting. "We always welcome bringing relations between sovereign neighbors back to normal and this has been repeatedly mentioned at all levels," he emphasized.

Erdoğan indicated that he had proposed to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to hold a trilateral meeting with Syrian leader Bashar Assad.

This month, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that arranging a meeting between Assad and Erdoğan in Russia is possible.

"There are no specifics yet. However, there is potentially such a possibility," Peskov said when asked about the possibility of this meeting transpiring.

He also recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin had repeatedly said that contact between these leaders would be welcomed because they were in the interests of peace and stability in the region and throughout Syria. "Of course, the Russian side is ready to facilitate this in every possible way.”