30 Jun 2020 14:02

Online summit on Syria in Astana format set for July 1 - Peskov

MOSCOW. June 30 (Interfax) - The presidents of Russia, Turkey, and Iran will hold a videoconference to address Syria in the Astana format on July 1, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

"Yes, the Kremlin can confirm this information," Peskov said, when asked whether the Kremlin could confirm the relevant reports in Turkish media.

The presidents of Russia, Turkey, and Iran plan to make open statements, he said.

"This will take place at around two o'clock in the afternoon," Peskov said.

A summit in the Astana format was originally planned for March 2020 in Tehran, but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visited Moscow on June 16. Following a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Zarif said he had received consent from Russia and Turkey to hold an Astana-format summit first online and later in a face-to-face format.