Iranian, Russian FMs Confer on Strengthening Syria Ceasefire
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, exchanged views about the latest developments in war-hit Syria and efforts to strengthen a comprehensive ceasefire across the Arab country.
The issue was raised in a phone conversation between the two top diplomats on Saturday.
Also a report by Russian Sputnik news agency said that Lavrov and Zarif agree that the intra-Syrian talks in Astana were an effective platform for the resolution of the Syrian conflict and pledge to keep up close coordination of efforts on conflict resolution.
"It was stressed that the meeting [in Astana] became an efficient platform for a direct dialogue between the government of Syria and representatives of armed opposition in order to strengthen ceasefire, restore peace and calm in the country. [The ministers] expressed readiness to continue using the Astana talks' experience and opportunities to facilitate the active work on the resolution of the Syrian conflict in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolution 2254. The ministers agreed to maintain close coordination of efforts on political settlement of the Syrian conflict," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Saturday, following the two ministers' phone conversation.
"Both sides have highly appraised the international meeting on Syria in Astana on January 23-24, that took place at the invitation of Kazakhstan in response to the appeal of Iran, Russia and Turkey, with the participation of UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura and the US observer," the ministry said.