TEHRAN- Ali-Asghar Khaji, a top advisor to the Iranian foreign minister, met on Monday in Damascus with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.Khaji also met Ayman Sosan, Syria’s deputy foreign minister.Shortly after his discussions, the top adviser told reporters that his trip to Syria was intended to speak with Syrian authorities over recent events in the region and the current state of affairs in the Arab nation.

 Next week, senior officials from Iran, Turkey, Russia, and Syria will meet at an expert level as part of the so-called Astana talks for Syria to try to find a resolution to controversial issues in the war-ravaged country.In order to synchronize the views of the two parties in advance of the Astana expert talks, Khaji said he traveled to Damascus for talks with Syrian authorities.

 Deputy foreign ministers from Iran, Syria, Turkey, and Russia are also anticipated to meet on the sidelines of the Astana meeting to discuss initiatives aimed at assisting Damascus and Ankara resume their diplomatic relations, Sosan said after the meeting.According to Sosan, Iran and Syria share common perspectives on how to resolve the Syrian conflict and build peace and security throughout the nation.Back in April, diplomats from Iran, Syria, Turkey, and Russia held a joint meeting in Moscow to discuss the situation in Syria.The four-way meeting on Syria began at the level of deputy foreign ministers.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov delivered the opening speech of the meeting, which was held at the headquarters of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.The Moscow talks served as a prelude to the upcoming meeting between the foreign ministers of the four countries, according to the Turkish Anadolu news agency.Citing diplomatic sources, Anadolu indicated that the parties exchanged views on the agenda that the ministers could meet and the areas of cooperation that they considered.In a meeting between Khaji and Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akçapar and his entourage, they both emphasized the historical relations between Iran and Turkey and discussed issues of mutual interest including bilateral ties and regional developments, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.Khaji reaffirmed Iran’s sound policy that is premised on the need for Turkey and Syria to resolve their disputes politically.

He said Iran is ready to play an effective role in pushing for the normalization of ties between Ankara and Damascus.The Turkish deputy foreign minister, for his part, stressed the importance of the role of the Astana peace process on the Syria crisis.

Akçapar said Iran and Turkey should strengthen their coordination in this regard.