Iran, Russia FMs discuss political process in Syria: Moscow

Iran and Russia have exchanged views about possible political solutions to the four-and-a-half-year crisis in Syria, says Moscow.

In a telephone conversation on Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov discussed the latest developments in Syria and the ongoing fight against terrorist groups in the crisis-hit country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia reported.

The top Iranian and Russian diplomats underlined the need for reviving a political process in Syria through international support and cooperation among instrumental countries in the region, it added.   

The telephone conversation was the second between Zarif and Lavrov over the past week during which the two foreign ministers discussed leading issues in the Middle East, particularly the Syrian conflict.

On Saturday, the two top diplomats underlined the need to enhance their consultations in order to help find a solution to the ongoing crises in the Middle East and restore stability and security to the region.

Lavrov briefed his Iranian counterpart on a Friday meeting among top diplomats from Russia, the US, Saudi Arabia and Turkey in the Austrian capital of Vienna on the Syrian conflict.

Zarif also explained Iran’s stance on possible solutions to the crisis in Syria and stressed the Syrian people’s pivotal role in any solution aimed at putting an end to the war in the country.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, US Secretary of State John Kerry, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu held talks in Vienna on Friday on how to end the Syrian conflict.

Following the Vienna meeting, Lavrov said Moscow wants Iran and Egypt to participate in any future talks on finding a political solution to the ongoing crisis in Syria.

The foreign-sponsored conflict in Syria, which flared in March 2011, has claimed the lives of more than 250,000 people and left over one million injured, according to the United Nations.

In recent weeks, Syrian armed forces have made a series of new gains in the fight against the Takfiri militants. Reports say large numbers of Daesh terrorists are abandoning the ranks of the extremist group amid the advances of government troops.

The Russian aerial campaign against the militants in Syria, which started in late September, has contributed to the Syrian army’s counter-terror military operations in several parts of the Arab country.

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