Russian President Vladimir Putin will be hosting his Turkish and Iranian counterparts, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hassan Rouhani, at a trilateral summit Nov. 22 in Sochi, to discuss Syria and regional developments. Prior to the summit, the three countries held a preparatory meeting with experts in Tehran, followed by another meeting on the ministerial level in Turkey’s Antalya. 

At the conclusion of the Antalya meeting Nov. 19, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov seemed very optimistic, and he was quoted as saying that “the meeting was useful” and the parties to the talks "agreed on all key issues." Yet Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif acted in a discreet manner when the former talked about bridging the gaps between the three parties and the latter did not disclose much.

Although these meetings can be seen as a sign of a growing cooperation between the three parties, they can also be interpreted as a reflection of distrust between them. When it comes to Russia’s agenda in Syria, both Ankara and Tehran have their own fears as they are concerned that Moscow might exploit them at some point to achieve its own goals.

Over the last 11 months, the three countries managed to work tactically on selective matters in order to maximize their gains in the short term in Syria. However, as the battle against the Islamic State (IS) is coming to an end and the topics on which they can agree shrink, each party fears that Russia will conclude side agreements at their own expense, hence the growing distrust between the three players.