MOSCOW, August 9 (Itar-Tass) - The Russian and U.S. foreign policy and defense chiefs said on Friday that it was necessary to implement previous agreements for convening an international conference on a political settlement to the Syrian conflict (Geneva 2), the Russian Foreign Ministry said, commenting on the recent “two plus two” meeting in Washington. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu represented Russia at the talks. Their American counterparts were Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

Other topics for discussion included Afghanistan in the context of the forthcoming withdrawal of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the problem of the Korean peninsula and Iran’s nuclear programme.