CAIRO, December 11. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday he had agreed with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on strengthening coordination to assist political settlement in Syria.
"I have informed Mr. President [of Egypt] on steps Russia is taking to normalize the situation in Syria," Putin said after his talks with the Egyptian president.
"I also told him about my trip to Syria today." Putin said.
"We agreed with Mr. el-Sisi to strengthen coordination for the purpose of assisting long-term political settlement of the Syrian crisis," the Russian president said.
Almost all of Syria’s territory has been liberated from terrorists, Putin said.
"I think that the tasks, which had to be solved with the broad use of the Russian Armed Forces, have been fulfilled as a whole," the Russian president stressed.
Putin said he was grateful to the Egyptian leadership for the support of Russia’s initiative to convene a Syrian National Dialogue Congress.
"We intend to draw to its work very diverse opposition groups, including representatives of the so-called Moscow and Cairo platforms," he said.
The approaches of Moscow and Cairo on many international aspects generally either fully coincide or are very close to each other, Putin said.
Specifically, the Russian and Egyptian presidents discussed the situation in Libya and both leaders spoke for ensuring stability and security in that country, restoring its sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, Putin said.
Extension of Syria’s de-escalation zones
The Egyptian president has argued in favor of expanding de-escalation zones in Syria in Cairo on Monday after negotiations with Putin.
"It is necessary to practice de-escalation zones in Syria and expand them," he noted. "We confirmed the need to peacefully settle the Syrian crisis."
Speaking about the Libyan problems, el-Sisi pointed out, in particular, that "uniting all international efforts is important for settling the instability in Libya."
"We support the efforts of the UN envoy in the region and support holding of parliamentary and presidential elections in order to stabilize the situation, as well as unite all political forces of the country," he added.