MOSCOW, January 16. /ITAR-TASS/. A trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia, Syria and Iran was held in Moscow on Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.

“A trilateral meeting with the participation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Syrian Minister of Foreign and Expatriate Affairs Walid al-Muallem and Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif-Khonsari was held in Moscow on January 16,” it said.

The foreign ministers “discussed the development of the situation in Syria and around it in the light of preparations for convening the Geneva-2 international conference on January 22,” the Foreign Ministry reported.

Earlier, Sergei Lavrov denied that such meeting in tripartite format would take place. “Today I’m holding talks with Javad Zarif (foreign minister of Iran). Tomorrow I’ll meet Walid Muallem (Syria’s foreign minister). This is not the tripartite format,” Lavrov said.

“Our countries’ position on the Syrian crisis is not unique. We want Syria to be a sovereign state, territorial integrity to be ensured and the rights of all peoples, who live in Syria, to be guaranteed. We want Syria to live in peace and security with its neighbors,” the Russian minister said.