Turkey, US, Russia stage surprise tripartite regional security meeting in Antalya

The top soldiers of Turkey, the United States and Russia came together in Antalya in a first of its kind tripartite summit, the Turkish military has stated, highlighting developments in Syria and Iraq as top issues of the agenda, Hurriyet Daily News reported. 

In a written statement issued by the office of the Chief of General Staff, Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar, US Chief of General Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford and Russian Chief of General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov met in Antalya. 

Sources said the meeting began early on Tuesday and is expected to continue through the day. Pictures distributed by the Turkish army feature the three top soldiers sitting side by side. 

The top soldiers of the three countries held bilateral meetings in recent months, particularly on security issues in Syria and Iraq, but have never met in a three-way meeting. 

The statement said they discussed security issues concerning Syria and Iraq, without further elaborating. The meeting comes as Turkey presses both Russia and the US to cease cooperation with the Syrian Democratic Union Party (PYD) for defeating the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Source: MENA