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Assad, Russian diplomats discuss war on terror - presidential office

The Russian delegation consists of Presidential Envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin

MOSCOW, September 15. /TASS/. Syrian President Bashar Assad and the Russian foreign ministry’s delegation discussed on Sunday the issues related to continuing the war on terror, the Arab republic’s restoration and the general situation in the country and the region, the Syrian leader’s office said.

The Russian delegation consists of Presidential Envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin.

According to Assad’s office, the sides discussed the agenda of an upcoming meeting of the Astana process guarantor nations due on Monday. Apart from that, much attention was focused on "Russia’s efforts to overcome the obstacles created by certain countries in the region and outside it on the path of complete cessation of hostilities in Syria."

Members of the Russian delegation noted that Moscow is "committed to further cooperation with Damascus to moderate the consequences of the Syrian people’s war against terrorist groups."

Russian president’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Friday President Vladimir Putin would visit Ankara on September 16 to take part in a trilateral summit on Syria.

The leaders of Russia, Iran and Turkey gathered for their first summit on Syria in Russia’s Sochi in November 2017. The leaders agreed that the de-escalation zones on Syria’s territory must not undermine that country’s territorial integrity and infringe upon its sovereignty. They also called on the Syrian government and opposition forces to take part in a Syrian National Dialogue Congress. The idea of such congress was advanced by Russian President Vladimir Putin at a Valdai forum in October 2017.

The three leaders had three more meetings on Syrian settlement, in Ankara in April 2018, in Teheran in September 2018, and in Sochi in February 2019.