A Russian diplomat told Asharq Al-Awsat on Wednesday that Moscow was now more relieved after Russia, Turkey and Iran started to bridge their differences on Syria. The source said Tehran is less critical of the Turkish military operations in Afrin, while Ankara has softened its language when speaking about the ongoing military operation in Ghouta and other areas, such as Idlib. On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held lengthy talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu to discuss the situation in Syria, particularly in the eastern Ghouta. The two ministers also tackled preparations for a tripartite round of talks to include Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Jawad Zarif in Astana on Friday. The meeting of the three foreign ministers would come ahead of an expected summit between Russia, Iran and Turkey on Syria, scheduled for the start of April in Turkey. Sources from the Russian foreign ministry told Asharq Al-Awsat that Russia and Turkey’s ministers discussed in details the issue of fighting terrorism inside the de-escalation zones. The two ministers also tackled the US actions in Syria, particularly on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River. "Yesterday, we sternly warned the United States through all channels. I hope that these irresponsible plans won’t be implemented," Lavrov said during a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart. The Russian minister added that the US still seeks to create pretexts for ousting the regime. Russian diplomatic sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Wednesday that Moscow is interested to control the actions of Turkey and Iran in the operation of guaranteeing the cessation of fighting in Syria.” “Contacts are currently ongoing to jointly coordinate for this phase and for the mechanisms needed to end the current situation in Ghouta. Also, the three concerned countries are tackling future prospects needed to guarantee the launch of a political operation in the area,” the sources said. They described the upcoming ministerial summit as “greatly important” because the Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign ministers would discuss the joint mechanism for their future steps in Syria. Russian analysts already said that Moscow was seeking to safeguard the balance of interests, which it already sponsored with its Turkish and Iranian partners during the past phase, in addition to developing the work of this same mechanism for the upcoming phase.