Damascus

The deputy foreign ministers of Syria, Turkey, Iran and Russia will meet in April in Moscow, Turkish and Iranian officials said on Tuesday, building on contacts between Ankara and Damascus after years of hostilities during the Syrian war.

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said on March 23 that the kingdom is in talks with Syria to resume consular services for the first time since 2012, Saudi state media reported.

State-owned Al Ekhbariya TV reported the discussions, citing a source in the Saudi foreign ministry. Saudi and Syrian officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

Syrian President Bashar Assad arrived in Moscow on March 14, where he is scheduled to meet top ally Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A regime change in Syria through a planned transition process, which envisages elections and a new constitution, is required for a political solution in the country, Syrian Turkmen Assembly Chair Mehmet Türkhan said on March 13.

The film Under the Sky of Damascus by exiled Syrian filmmakers Heba Khaled, Talal Derki and Ali Wajeeh won the International Competition Golden Alexander at the 25th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, TiDF.

Turkish, Russian, Iranian, and Syrian deputy foreign ministers will meet in Russia's capital Moscow on March 15-16 for talks on Syria, according to diplomatic sources.

Three people were killed, said the deputy head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Warring Parties in Syria, Oleg Gurinov.
According to him, the buildings of research centers in the cities of Masyaf and Safsafa were damaged in the attack, reports RIA Novosti.

A Turkish delegation will visit Moscow next week for technical talks ahead of a planned foreign ministers' meeting of Türkiye, Russia, Iran and Syria, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on March 8.

Senior officials from Türkiye and Iran discussed bilateral ties as well as regional issues, including the ongoing Syrian civil war, in the Turkish capital on Jan. 17.

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian visited Ankara on a one-day trip where he was received by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and held talks with Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.

Türkiye and Russia will resume joint patrols in northern Syria in line with a recent deal between the two countries, the Turkish defense minister has said, expressing Ankara's intention to continue a process started by Ankara, Moscow and Damascus for resolving terror and migration problems.