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Russian, US and Turkish military officials discuss Syrian crisis

MOSCOW, March 7. /TASS/. Chief of Russia’s General Staff Valery Gerasimov, his Turkish counterpart, Hulusi Akar, and Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Joseph Dunford, discussed regional security in Syria and Iraq and efforts aimed at raising the efficiency in combating terrorism at a meeting in Antalya on Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday.

"During the meeting, the parties exchanged views on regional security issues in Syria and Iraq. In particular, they discussed the current situation in the fight against terrorist organizations in Syria in light of raising the efficiency in countering all terrorist organizations in the future. They also noted the importance of taking additional steps to prevent incidents during operations," the ministry said.

The meeting was held at the invitation of the Turkish side.

Russia launched an operation against militants of the Islamic State group (outlawed in Russia) in September 2015. The ceasefire in Syria came into force on December 30, 2016. Russia and Turkey act as the guarantors of the truce. The forces of the international coalition led by the United States are operating in Syria and Iraq.