The trip signifies a new era of Turkey-Iran-Russia relations, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also heading to Tehran to meet his Iranian and Russian counterparts this week.
This comes in the wake of US President Joe Biden visiting the region. The goal of the July 18-19 meeting in Iran is ostensibly part of the Astana process relating to Syria and could have significant ramifications for Syria which remains divided.
The Russian and Iranian-backed Syrian regime controls the major cities, while Turkey controls northwest Syria, and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces control eastern Syria.
Russia’s goal in Syria is a stable Syrian regime. Iran’s goal is to use Syria as a base for threats against Israel and to traffic weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Turkey’s goal in Syria is to use it as a dumping ground for Syrian refugee push-backs, to cultivate pro-Turkish Syrian rebel groups, and to remove Kurds from border areas. The US goal in Syria is ostensibly to defeat ISIS, although ISIS was mostly defeated in 2019. The US overall policy remains unclear.
There are other issues afoot.
Russia is at war in Ukraine and Iran wants to take advantage of Russia’s distraction to expand its influence in Syria. Iran also uses Syria to traffic drugs, mostly captagon pills, a traffic that threatens Jordan and the Gulf. Turkey wants to begin a new invasion, targeting Kurds in Manbij and Tel Rifaat and other areas. Meanwhile, the US recently used a drone to kill another ISIS leader near the Turkish border between Idlib and Afrin. In the wake of the Biden visit, it’s important that Iran and Turkey feel they are getting press and high-level attention from Putin.
“As part of the visit, the seventh meeting of the top-level Turkish-Iranian Cooperation Council will be held on July 19. It is planned to approve steps on the further development of bilateral relations. Along with bilateral matters, it is also planned to discuss regional and global issues,” the Turkish presidential office said in a statement on Sunday.
“Tuesday's meeting will also allow Erdogan to hold his first face-to-face meeting with the Russian president since the start of Moscow's special military operation in Ukraine,” Iran’s Fars News noted. AFP also reported on the upcoming meeting, noting that Ankara wants a green light for its operation.
Turkey’s Anadolu News said all aspects of the Turkey-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.”
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