Russian, Iranian diplomats discuss situation in Syria - foreign ministry

Russia's Special Envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev and Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin held consultations with Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Shamkhani and Iranian Foreign Minister's Senior Aide for Special Political Affairs Ali Asghar Khaji on Tuesday in Tehran, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, Trend reports citing TASS.

According to the foreign ministry, the sides discussed the situation in the Middle East with special attention paid to Syria. Representatives of the Russian Defense Ministry also took part in the talks.

"In the context of Syrian settlement, [the diplomats] discussed the issues of stabilizing the situation on the ground amid the ongoing war on terrorism, as well as the goals of Syria’s post-conflict recovery and aiding the return of Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons," the ministry noted. "Besides, they discussed the prospects of finalizing the formation and launching the Constitutional Committee as an important stage in the promotion of the political process, led and carried out by Syrians themselves with the support of the UN in accordance with the decisions of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi and Resolution 2254 of the UN Security Council."

In the course of the talks, representatives of Russia and Iran agreed to maintain regular contacts on the wide range of regional and international issues, as well as to coordinate "further steps within the framework of Astana-format cooperation, which includes organizing and holding the next international meeting on Syria in Nur-Sultan."