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Russian Security Council is worried over degradation of Geneva talks on Syria — Kremlin

MOSCOW, April 21. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has held a meeting with permanent members of the Security Council, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

"The discussion revolved around the Middle East settlement situation in the wake of this week’s talks the Russian president held with the Palestinian National Authority’s leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanjahu. Great concern was expressed over the serious degradation of the situation at Syrian settlement talks in Geneva," Peskov said.

Taking part in the meeting were Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko, State Duma Speaker Sergey Naryshkin, Chief of the Presidential Staff Sergey Ivanov, Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, his Deputy Rashid Nurgaliyev, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, federal security service FSB Director Aleksandr Bortnikov, and foreign intelligence SVR Director Mikhail Fradkov.

"Current issues on the socio-economic domestic agenda and a number of issues related to preparations for parliamentary elections were touched upon," Peskov said.