Moscow insists on soon meeting of Russia-Turkey-Iran-Syria FMs

Preparations for a meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, Turkey and Syria are ongoing, and the sooner a meeting is held the better, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said.

"We are getting ready. [...] We need to set a date that is acceptable for all four ministers in the near future," Bogdanov told reporters in Moscow.

Turkey will hold its presidential election in mid-May, Bogdanov said. As to whether the meeting may be held after the election, Bogdanov said, "The sooner the better. We have submitted our proposals, but it is too early to tell, because we have not received a final response from our colleagues."

Deputy foreign ministers from the four countries worked on a document during their meeting, Bogdanov said. "Theoretically, a meeting at such a level [foreign ministers] should end with a final statement," he said.

As to whether this means that Syria has withdrawn its demands, Bogdanov said, "No, they did not."

"No one has withdrawn anything for now. So we are leaving certain issues we have been unable to coordinate at our level for consideration by the ministers. Hopefully, they will reach consensus at their level," Bogdanov said.