IRNA � A senior Iranian official said on Monday that the trilateral meeting between heads of states of Iran, Russia and Turkey in the Russian resort city of Sochi is an important step forward to resolve the Syrian crisis.


'The Sochi summit is an introduction for taking next steps,' President Hassan Rouhani's Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi said in a local ceremony.

He noted that President Rouhani's trip to Sochi is the result of 11 months of negotiations between representatives of Iran, Russia and Turkey in the Kazakhstan capital, Astana.

The official described the Syrian talks in Astana as successful, noting that Iran, Russia and Turkey succeeded to make peace in the war-torn country and in the meantime, coordinate the next steps in fighting Daesh (ISIS).

He pointed to the liberation of al-Bukamal border town which was the last Daesh stronghold in Syria and noted that regarding the end of military operation, time is ripe for settling the crisis in the region.

Iran believes that the Syrian people themselves should decide their future, Vaezi added.

According to the Russian media, the presidents of Russia, Turkey and Iran - Vladimir Putin, Recep Erdogan and Hassan Rouhani are expected to meet in Sochi on November 22 to discuss settlement of the conflict in Syria.