MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/. The detailed coordination of approaches on the settlement in Syria head of the Syrian Congress of National Dialogue in Sochi is important for both Moscow and Tehran, Russian Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and the African Countries, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said at the beginning of the meeting with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari on Friday.

He reported that the situation regarding the Syrian settlement will become the central issue of the talks. "Today’s meeting is very important to us, because we can specify some details and coordinate our approaches on the Syrian settlement issue," Bogdanov stressed.

He expressed gratitude to his Iranian counterpart for the visit, reiterating that on Friday Ansari will go to Sochi to participate in a three-lateral meeting of the Russian, Iranian and Turkish deputy foreign ministers on preparations for the Syrian Congress of National Dialogue.

The diplomat also noted that he will discuss with his Iranian counterpart a range of Middle East issues. "The situation in the Middle East is actively developing," he noted. "Different, sometimes contradictory, processes are going on there, so it is important to us to share our assessments, ideas and forecasts with our Iranian partners and friends."