Turkish, Russian, Iranian FMs to discuss Syria in NY

A trilateral meeting on Syria will be held in New York with the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia, and Iran, Turkey's foreign minister said Friday.

Speaking at a joint news conference in Surinam with his Surinamese counterpart Yldiz Pollack-Beighle, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said the decision to hold the tripartite meeting came after "technical" planning in Ankara over the last three days.

In wake of Sochi agreement, "cease-fire must be fully established and focus should be on political solution," Çavuşoğlu said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, stipulated establishment of a 15 to 20-kilometer (9.3-12.4 miles) disarmament zone in Idlib, Syria’s last opposition stronghold.

Ankara and Moscow also signed a memorandum of understanding calling for the “stabilization” of Idlib's de-escalation zone, in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

Under the pact, opposition groups in Idlib will remain in areas where they are already present, while Russia and Turkey will do joint patrols in the area to head off renewed fighting.

On the bilateral relations with Suriname, Çavuşoğlu said Ankara is eager to boost friendly relations with Paramaribo in all areas, adding the two countries agreed to develop economic cooperation.

He also said a visa-free travel will improve the contact between businesspeople and upgrade bilateral trade volume.

Turkey and Surinam agreed to sign a visa-free agreement in the future, Çavuşoğlu added.