MOSCOW, March 15. /TASS/. Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad thanked his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov for Moscow’s help in post-earthquake cleanup, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement following the diplomats’ meeting.

"After discussing a number of practical issues of strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation between Russia and Syria, Faisal Mekdad expressed gratitude for Russia’s effective help in dealing with the earthquake aftermath in Syria," the statement said.

Lavrov and Mekdad also pointed to coinciding assessments of Moscow and Damascus on the current state of international relations "as a global clash of forces, standing up for sovereignty and equality of all states, with the geopolitical hegemony of the West, which starts to lose its positions in the modern world".

In addition, the top diplomats also discussed situation in Syria, noting positive developments, in particular, the growing momentum in restoring Damascus' multidimensional ties with the leading Arab capitals.

Mekdad arrived in Moscow as part of the government delegation accompanying Syrian President Bashar Assad during his official visit to Moscow.

The earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 occurred on February 6 with nine-hour intervals in Kahramanmaras province in southeastern Turkey. Tremors, followed by hundreds of aftershocks, were felt in neighboring countries, of which Syria was the most affected.