Iran’s Deputy FM in Russia for Talks on Syria, Yemen
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian traveled to Moscow on Wednesday to hold talks with ranking Russian diplomats on ways to settle the conflicts in the Middle East, specifically the crises in Syria and Yemen.
While in Moscow, Amir Abdollahian is scheduled to consult with Mikhail Bogdanov, the Russian president’s special representative for Middle Eastern affairs, on the regional issues.
In addition to the crises in Syria and Yemen, the two sides will exchange views on coordination in the fight against terrorism and extremism.
The Iranian diplomat’s visit precedes a fresh round of UN-sponsored peace talks on Syria, due to start on Friday.
Three rounds of UN-backed negotiations have so far been held in Vienna and New York on the situation in Syria since October.
The participating states, including Iran, are trying to work out a list of legitimate opposition groups, as opposed to terrorists, in Syria to engage in talks with the government in Damascus.
Syria has been entangled in civil war since March 2011, with Takfiri terrorist groups like Daesh controlling parts of it, mostly in the east.
In the past five years, more than 250,000 people have died in Syria -overwhelmingly civilians- and around 4 million Syrians are now refugees in other countries. Around 8 million others have been displaced internally.