Turkish President Erdo?an to visit Tehran in September

By  Trend

President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an will travel to Tehran on Sept. 7, presidency announced on Aug. 27.

Erdo?an will attend the third summit within the Astana process amid raising concerns for possible regime attack on Syria's rebel-held Idlib province, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

Turkey, Russia and Iran are the guarantors of a countrywide ceasefire in Syria and the guarantors will meet in Tehran. They have been mediating a peace process since January 2016 among Syria’s warring sides in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavu?o?lu held two meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the last two weeks. The minister also met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Aug. 24. Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and National Intelligence Organization Director Hakan Fidan also held meetings in Moscow, just a week after their first trip to the Russian capital.

Turkey’s demarche comes over impending Syrian military operation into the Idlib where Ankara warns against a full scale military operation will risk lives of civilians among nearly three million people there.

The Syrian army, backed by Russia, is aiming to eliminate jihadists, which have been controlling the province since early 2017.