All news

Russian, Syrian, Iranian top diplomats to hold talks on October 28

The ministers will discuss the situation in the Middle East

MOSCOW, October 27. /TASS/. The Russian, Syrian and Iranian foreign ministers, Sergey Lavrov, Walid Muallem and Javad Zarif, will hold a three-party meeting in Moscow on Friday, Russian Foreign Ministry’s official spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters.

"Tomorrow there will be a three-party meeting between Lavrov and his Syrian and Iranian counterparts," Zakharova said. "The ministers will discuss the situation in the Middle East and the issues of fight against terrorism."

The talks will focus on the Syrian crisis "taking into account the commitments of the three countries to uncompromising struggle against terrorists, ensuring ceasefire, ending the sufferings of civilians as soon as possible, solving humanitarian problems and launching political process on the well-known international-legal basis," she said.

The diplomat said the ministers will also discuss the military and political situation in Iraq and the goal of efficient fight against the terrorists of the Islamic State (IS) group outlawed in Russia.

On Friday, Lavrov is also due to hold a bilateral meeting with his Syrian counterpart, who is paying a working visit to Russia at Lavrov’s invitation. The talks will "focus on the pace of developments in Aleppo and efforts of the Russian and Syrian military" who continue the fight against the Islamic State and Jabhat Al-Nusra terrorist groups.

The top diplomats will also discuss providing humanitarian assistance to the Syrian citizens, which includes foodstuffs, medical supplies and essentials.

Lavrov is also scheduled to hold bilateral talks with his Iranian counterpart to discuss the prospects of developing the Russian-Iranian relations in the context of implementing the agreements reached by the Russian and Iranian presidents in Baku, Azerbaijan, in August.

"On October 28 Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif will pay a working visit to Russia," the diplomat said. "That same day Russia’s foreign minister will hold talks with him."

"The top diplomats will focus on the current state of and prospects for Russian-Iranian relations, in particular the implementation of the agreements reached by the two countries’ presidents on August 8 in Baku," Zakharova elaborated.

Iran plays an important role in the events developing in the Middle Eastern region, she added noting that Russia considered this visit "rather timely and important, taking into account the current international situation, including the conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Afghanistan."