All news

Lavrov, Kerry take pause in Geneva talks — delegation source

GENEVA, September 9. /TASS/. The talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry in Geneva have been paused and the meeting will resume an hour later, a source in Russia’s delegation told TASS on Friday.

"The sides are considering the groundwork, the talks will resume in around an hour. The work at the level of experts continues," the source said.

The meeting began at the President Wilson Hotel at around 10.30 a.m. Moscow time (0730GMT). Ahead of the talks, Lavrov and Kerry voiced concerns over the new nuclear test conducted by North Korea.

The focus of the discussion is Syria. The main intrigue is whether the sides will be able to come to an agreement envisaging, in particular, coordination of actions in the fight against terrorists in war-torn Syria. In addition, the sides will focus on the expansion of humanitarian access, especially around Aleppo, the launch of the intra-Syrian political process. The top diplomats may also discuss the situation in Ukraine and issues of the bilateral agenda.