A trilateral meeting between leaders of Russia, Turkey and Iran was held in Russian city of Sochi, to discuss ways to advance a political settlement in Syria. <br/><br/>In the joint statement after the talks, Russian President Valadmir Putin, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for the launch of political talks. <br/><br/>The three leaders emphasized the need for all parties in the Syrian conflict to release all prisoners and hostages and creating conditions for lasting cease-fire.<br/><br/>After the trilateral meeting, Russian President said, Syria's leadership is committed to the peace process, constitutional reform and free elections.<br/><br/>On Monday, Syrian President Bashar Assad had made a surprise trip to Russia for talks with Russian President.<br/>A three-day gathering of the Syrian opposition is also being held in Riyadh, in a bid to form a united front for the Syrian peace talks to be held on 28th November in Geneva.