Erdoğan to discuss regional issues with Raisi, Putin in Tehran
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan speaks at a joint news conference with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani in Ankara, Turkey, April 16, 2016. (Sabah File Photo)


President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will travel to Iran for a two-day official visit to discuss bilateral and global issues with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi, a statement by the presidency said Sunday.

The president will visit Iran on Monday and will attend a number of meetings, and co-chair the seventh meeting of the Turkish-Iranian High-Level Cooperation Council with Raisi on July 19. The meeting will touch upon an extensive evaluation of Turkey-Iran relations and analyze bilateral steps to be taken to enhance ties further.

Erdoğan will also attend a trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin under the scope of the Astana process. The three leaders are expected to discuss recent developments in Syria, and the counterterrorism fight, including against the Daesh and the YPG/PKK. They are also expected to discuss the voluntary return of Syrian refugees to their homes.

The president will also attend a bilateral meeting with Putin on the summit's sidelines.

The Astana talks for peace in Syria were launched in 2017 at the initiative of these three countries. Its meetings also contribute to the advancement of the United Nations-led diplomatic process in Geneva.

Putin will travel to Tehran on July 19 for a Syria summit with Erdoğan and Raisi, the Kremlin announced Tuesday.

Russia, Turkey and Iran have in recent years been holding talks on Syria as part of the called the "Astana peace process" to end more than 11 years of conflict in the Middle Eastern country.