Four-way meeting on Syria scheduled for next week in Kazakhstan

The deputy foreign ministers from Türkiye, Russia, Iran, and Syria are scheduled to meet in Kazakhstan's capital Astana on June 21, Turkish diplomatic sources said on Wednesday.

Four countries have been exchanging views on normalizing ties between Türkiye and Syria, as well as counterterrorism, political process, and humanitarian matters, including the voluntary, safe, and dignified return of Syrians.

The country's foreign ministers met in Russia's capital Moscow on May 10 and agreed to form a committee to normalize relations between Türkiye and Syria.

Syria has been mired in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.