Isolated from the West, Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in Tehran on Tuesday where he meets his counterparts from Iran and Turkey for talks focusing mainly on the conflict in Syria, but also on the war in Ukraine and its impact on the world economy.

Putin stressed that negotiations on Ukrainian grain exports are however progressing “There are still unsolved problems.”

“With your mediation we have made progress, but it is also true that there are still unresolved issues,” said the Russian president at the beginning of a meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

State television showed live images of Putin’s arrival in the Iranian capital, where he made his second trip abroad since the beginning of the Russian offensive in Ukraine on 24 February.

The Middle East Council

For his part, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Tehran on Monday where he held bilateral meetings with Iranian leaders, who reiterated their opposition to a Turkish offensive in northern Syria.

The tripartite meeting takes place days after the tour by US President Joe Biden through the Middle East, where he visited Israel and Saudi Arabia, two countries hostile to Iran.

The summit will focus on Syria, where Russia, Turkey and Iran are the main players in the war that has ravaged the country since 2011.

Moscow and Tehran support the Bashar al-Assad regime and Ankara to the rebels. The three countries launched the so-called Astana process in 2017, the official aim of which is to bring peace to Syria.

During his speech, broadcast live on television, Putin was convinced that Russia, Turkey and Iran must continue to “play a key role in the trials aimed at normalization of the situation in Syria and the establishment of a lasting peace “in the Arab country.

He also reiterated Moscow’s support for the “sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity” Syria and denounced the “destructive policy of Western countries, led by the United States” towards the Arab country.

Erdogan was received on Tuesday by his Iranian counterpart, the ultra-conservative Ebrahim Raisi, at the Saadabad Palace.

He later met with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who warned him that a Turkish offensive in Syria it would be “bad” for the regionaccording to an official statement.

However, the supreme leader promised Erdogan this Iran will “cooperate” with Turkey in its “fight against terrorism”stressing that “terrorists are not limited to a specific group”.

Turkey relaunches create a “safety zone” 30 kilometers to the border, and hopes to receive the green light from Iran and Russia to launch an offensive in the north of the country.

The Turkish army, present in the northern areas of the Syrian territory bordering Turkey, launched between 2016 and 2019 with the help of Syrians three major operations in Syria.

Ankara wants to launch a new operation against two cities under the control of the People’s Protection Units (YPG), a Kurdish militia accused by Turkey of being affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)which he considers a terrorist.

These groups “are really a big problem” for Iran and Turkey and “we must fight these terrorist organizations with solidarity and alliance,” Erdogan said during a press conference in Tehran.

War in Ukraine

The tripartite summit will allow Erdogan meet for the first time with Putin since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine.

Turkey, a member of NATO, has tried to maintain contacts with both countries and He has offered to mediate on several occasions.

The two leaders are expected to discuss mechanisms to allow the export via safe sea routes of Ukrainian wheat, blocked by the Russian military offensive which has raised the risk of triggering a global food crisis.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday that a “final document” to unblock Ukraine’s grain exports.

The agreement, currently being negotiated between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN, it would allow about 20 million tons of cereals to be released across the Black Sea blocked in Ukrainian ports due to the Russian offensive.

On the other hand, according to experts, the leaders of Iran and Russia could also discuss the agreement on the Iranian nuclear program.

Russia participated in the talks between Iran and the principal powers to revive the 2015 agreement on the Iranian nuclear programwhich allowed the lifting of international sanctions against Tehran in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear activities.

Source: AFP and AP

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