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Conflict in Syria

Lavrov, Kerry continue discussing modality, terms for truce in Syria - Russian ministry

This was the second telephone conversation between Lavrov and Kerry over the past two days

MOSCOW, February 21. /TASS/. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in a telephone conversation on Sunday continued discussing modality and terms for truce in Syria, with the exception for the operation against terrorists.

CONFLICT IN SYRIA

"The heads of the foreign affairs’ authorities as co-chairs of the International Syria Support Group and in compliance with its decisions of February 12 continued discussing modality and terms for stopping military actions in Syria, with the exception for the operation against organizations, which the UN Security Council has confirmed as terrorist organizations," the Russian foreign ministry said.

This was the second telephone conversation between Lavrov and Kerry over the past two days. On February 20, they discussed humanitarian assistance and modality of the truce.

"Progress was noted in delivery of humanitarian cargoes to blocked areas on Syrian territory," the ministry said on February 20 after the telephone conversation.

"Lavrov also noted inadmissibility of provocative actions of Turkey violating the Syrian Arab Republic’s territorial integrity," the statement said.

"The sides discussed issues of the current practical interaction between Russia and the United States as co-chairs of the International Syria Support Group on implementation of its decisions of February 12 made in Munich regarding humanitarian situation relief and coordination of modalities of cessation of hostilities in the country except for the fight against terrorist groups," it said. "It has been confirmed that practicing mechanisms of implementation of the above-mentioned tasks requires coordination via militaries."

According to the UN statistics data, the fighting between Syrian governmental troops and militants has killed over 220,000 people and displaced millions since its start in 2011. Gangs of militants making part of various armed formations, the most active of them being the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organizations (outlawed in Russia), are fight against the governmental troops.

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