News - Middle East: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has announced that the top diplomats of the three guarantor states of the Astana peace process will meet in Qatar to discuss the resurgence of terrorism in Syria.

Araghchi on Wednesday said he will head to Qatar “early next week” to take part in the Doha Forum.

Noting that the top diplomats of Russia and Turkey will also be present in Doha to take part in the meeting, Araghchi announced that the next meeting of the Astana process at the foreign ministerial level will be held in the Qatari capital.

“Certainly, Qatar will not participate in this meeting, and since these ministers are in Doha, we will hold the meeting there.”

Iran and Russia, as the allies of the Syrian government, as well as Turkey, which sides with the opposition, set up the Astana peace process in January 2017, intending to put an end to the Syrian conflict, which erupted in 2011, through the involvement of the Damascus government and the opposition.

After the resurgence of terrorism in Syria last week, the top Iranian diplomat placed a premium on safeguarding the achievements of the Astana peace talks.

‘Guarantor states in close contact over Syria’

Also on Wednesday, Moscow said the three guarantor states are in "close contact" over the conflict in Syria.

"The foreign ministers of the three guarantor countries -- Russia, Iran and Turkey -- are in close contact with each other," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters.

She added that Moscow was "actively working with international partners to ensure the rapid stabilization of the situation in Syria."

That comes as terror outfits led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a large-scale assault in Syria last Wednesday, overrunning parts of the government-controlled areas in the north of the Arab country.

Syria’s armed forces continue to fight the foreign-backed terrorists in the northwestern part of the country, inflicting heavy losses on them.

In recent years, Syrian government forces, backed by Russia and Iran, have managed to regain control over almost all regions.

Press TV