Quadrilateral summit on Syria to be held in Istanbul

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A four-party summit on Syria between the leaders of Turkey, Russia, Germany, and France will be held on October 27 in Istanbul, Turkey's presidential spokesperson said on Friday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the summit, Ibrahim Kalin said in a statement.

Erdogan had previously planned to host the international summit in September, but it did not take place then. The Kremlin, Elysee and Merkel's office also confirmed the date of the October 27 meeting.

The Istanbul summit will focus on the situation in Syria, the Idlib agreement and the political process, and seek joint efforts for finding a lasting solution to the conflict, he added.

Erdogan has attended trilateral summits on Syria with Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani three times. But this is the first time a meeting will bring the Turkish and Russian leaders together with the EU's two national leaders.

Turkey and Russia agreed to establish a demilitarized zone in Idlib, Syria's last opposition stronghold, following a meeting in the Russian city of Sochi between Erdogan and Putin.

(Cover: Turks hold placards and chant slogans during a protest against a Syrian military operation in the rebel-held Idlib province, September 7, 2018. /VCG Photo)

(With input from Xinhua News Agency and AFP)