MOSCOW, December 17. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin and Syrian First Deputy Foreign Minister Bassam Sabbagh noted at a meeting the importance of preventing the spread of the Middle Eastern crisis to other countries of the region, according to a statement released on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

"The discussion of the current situation in the zone of the Palestine-Israeli conflict took place with a focus on the necessity to stop violence in the Gaza Strip. In this respect the importance of preventing the spread of the crisis to other countries of the region was noted. The issues of activities of the UN forces on observance of disengagement in the Golan Heights were also discussed," the statement reads.

The parties focused on relevant issues of the Russian-Syrian interaction on international platforms, mainly in New York, the ministry noted, adding that special attention was given to international humanitarian assistance to Syria in accordance with the norms of international humanitarian right.