UPDATE 2 - Turkish, Iranian presidents meet in Ankara

UPDATES WITH PUTIN-ROUHANI MEETING

By Ilkay Guder

ANKARA (AA) - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday met on the sidelines of a Syria summit in the Turkish capital Ankara.

The closed-door meeting at the Presidential Complex started at 10.55 a.m. local time (0755GMT) and ended at 11.55 a.m. (0855GMT).

During the meeting, the leaders exchanged views on bilateral relations, along with regional and international issues.

Separately, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Rouhani also held a bilateral hour-plus meeting.

Speaking to reporters beforehand, Putin described his meeting with Rouhani as an “opportunity” to improve bilateral relations.

Rouhani, for his part, underscored Iran and Russia’s similar views on regional issues.

He also stressed the importance of last November’s Sochi summit on Syria for the Astana peace process, voicing his gratitude for the second summit on Syria in Ankara.

“Restoring security and stability to Syria, returning the refugees to their countries, and determining the future and fate of Syria via public opinion are three key aims,” said the Iranian leader.

Hosted by Erdogan, the trilateral summit on Syria has started in the Turkish capital.

After the summit, Rouhani and Russian President Vladimir Putin will join Erdogan at a banquet, followed by a joint news conference with the three leaders.

On March 7, Erdogan and Rouhani discussed recent developments in Syria and agreed to accelerate efforts to realize a cease-fire in order to end the tragedy in Eastern Ghouta and deliver humanitarian aid to civilians.

Last December, the two leaders met in Istanbul during an extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

On Nov. 22, Putin hosted Erdogan and Rouhani at a trilateral summit on Syria in the Black Sea resort of Sochi to discuss progress made in the Astana peace talks as well as changes in de-escalation zones across Syria.

*Nazli Yuzbasioglu, Ali Cura and Ahmet Dursun contributed to this story from Ankara