Four-party meeting on Syria underway in Moscow

A four-party meeting between the foreign ministers of Russia, Syria, Turkey and Iran, Sergey Lavrov, Faisal Mekdad, Mevlut Cavusoglu and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, has opened in Moscow on Wednesday.

Russia’s top diplomat Sergey Lavrov said that assisting in efforts for a safe return home of Syrian refugees has been one of the key principles for Moscow, Damascus, Ankara and Tehran.

"It has been a key principle for all the countries present here to contribute to a safe and voluntary return of refugees and internally displaced persons to the places of their permanent residence in Syria as well as to ensure their right to receive support," Lavrov said.

In early April, technical consultations between the deputy foreign ministers of the four countries were held in the Russian capital. They were meant to produce the exact date and content of this ministerial meeting which intends to facilitate the normalization of relations between Syria and Turkey.