Turkey, Russia and Iran discuss troop deployment in Syria

A spokesman for the Turkish president said on Thursday that Turkey, Russia and Iran have been working on a plan to deploy their troops in the de-escalation areas in Syria, Anadolu has reported.

“If these forces are stationed there, it will minimise the probability of clashes [between the regime and opposition groups],” Ibrahim Kalin told journalists in Ankara.

He explained that Russian and Turkish forces might be deployed in the Idlib region while Damascus and neighbouring areas could see the presence of mainly Iranian and Russian troops. Those from Jordan and the US could be stationed in the southern Deraa region. Russia, Turkey and Iran signed a deal in the Kazakh capital, Astana, on 4 May to establish four main “de-escalation zones” in Syria. Since then, these areas have for the most part been conflict-free.

The delegations from the three countries discussed the logistics of the conflict-free zones, added Kalin. “They are working on [which country’s] forces would be deployed between the regime and the opposition, the number of these forces and the mechanism to be used for a ceasefire.”

In conclusion, the Turkish official said that the upcoming Astana talks are likely to cement the deal on the deployment of troops in Syria.