Bogdanov and Jalali Discuss Mechanism for Quadruple Meeting on Syria

The special envoy of the Russian president for regional and African affairs, Mikhail Bogdanov, discussed with the Iranian ambassador to Moscow, Kazem Jalali, the planning for a quadruple meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia, Syria, Iran, and Turkey regarding the Syrian file. Moscow has informed Ankara of the possibility of holding a foreign ministers' meeting of these countries in early May, with the process of determining the date ongoing. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has stated that "Ankara does not accept preconditions in the normalization process with Syria." For its part, Damascus has repeatedly demanded that Ankara withdraw its forces present in the Syrian border region, which are conducting operations there against Kurdish formations, indicating that "the presence of Turkish forces is illegal." Bogdanov and Jalali emphasized during the meeting the importance of this initiative in enhancing regional stability and continuing efforts to bring the positions of the different parties closer together, according to the "ISNA" agency.