Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (2L), his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu (2R) and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) attend a meeting in Moscow on December 20, 2016. AFP / Natalia KOLESNIKOVA
MOSCOW: Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said Tuesday that Russia, Iran and Turkey were "ready" to be guarantors in Syria.
"Russia, Iran and Turkey are ready to be guarantors for settlement of the Syrian crisis," Shoigu said before a meeting with his Turkish and Iranian counterparts.
Shoigu said officials of the three countries had been working on a "declaration" for measures to settle the Syrian problem.
He added the steps that were taken in Syria with the U.S. had failed.
The foreign ministers of three countries met in Moscow to discuss the current situation in Syria. They are later expected to hold a joint news conference.
About the assassination of Moscow’s ambassador in Ankara, Shoigu said: "This is a terror attack against Russia."
Andrey Karlov was shot dead at an art exhibition in Ankara Monday evening.
Shoigu hoped those who involved in the attack would be identified and punished. He added Russia would continue with fight against terrorism.
*Diyar Guldogan in Ankara contributed to this report.
