Turkey says will attend Qatar-hosted peace talks with Russia, Iran to end Syrian civil war

Turkey will attend a meeting with the Russian and Syrian delegations in Qatar to discuss the escalating civil war in Syria, the country’s foreign ministry said on Friday.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan “will meet with the Russian and Iranian ministers… for a meeting under the Astana process” on the sidelines of the Doha Forum, a foreign ministry source said.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday he hoped the rebel advance would go off “without incident”.

Syria has been ravaged by rebel insurgency since last week after members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other groups captured key cities of Aleppo and Hama. The HTS-led rebels have now reached the doors of another significant city, Homs.

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Iranian state media had reported earlier that a meeting was expected on the forum’s sidelines between Turkey, which supports some of the rebels, and Damascus allies Iran and Russia.

What is the Astana process?

The Astana process, initiated by Kazakhstan in 2017, aimed to achieve a political resolution to Syria’s civil war. However, the conflict has reignited following a rapid offensive by Islamist-led rebels over the past week.

It serves as a platform for dialogue between various parties to the conflict, including the Syrian government and opposition groups, with a focus on reducing violence, securing ceasefires, and advancing humanitarian efforts.

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Rebels want to overthrow Assad

The rebel groups have only one goal in mind – overthrow President Bashar al-Assad’s rule.

Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel alliance, told CNN, “When we talk about objectives, the goal of the revolution remains the overthrow of this regime. It is our right to use all available means to achieve that goal.”

The rebels launched their offensive in northern Syria the same day a ceasefire took effect in the war between Israel and Lebanese group Hezbollah, which along with Russia and Iran have been crucial backers of Assad’s government.

With inputs from AFP