Russian and Syrian FMs discuss comprehensive settlement in Syria

The situation in Syria and issues of political settlement in that country were the focus of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s telephone call with his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Mekdad, the Russian foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

"The ministers discussed the development of the situation in and around Syria with a focus on the efforts to promote a comprehensive political settlement in that country. High praise was given to the results of the 19th Astana-format international meeting on Syria, which was held in Kazakhstan on November 22-23," the ministry said.

Apart from that, the ministers discussed the humanitarian situation in Syria and stressed the necessity of international assistance to overcome the consequences of the years-long conflict. "The sides exchanged views on the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 2642, which supports projects for the restoration of socio-economic infrastructure facilities in Syria. They reiterated their commitment to further coordination on this matter," the ministry said. "The ministers also discussed a range of practical issues of the further development of Russian-Syrian cooperation."