The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov conferred with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on the current regional issues and stressed the need for more interaction between the two sides for resolving regional crises and restoring peace and security to the Middle East.
During the phone conversation which took place on Saturday, FM Lavrov informed Zarif on the results of talks he held with other foreign ministers of US, Saudi Arabia and Turkey in Vienna on October 23 for high-level discussions of ways to find a settlement to the Syrian crisis.
According to Russian media, in the Vienna meeting, Lavrov’s statements indicated that the 'quartet' is not Moscow’s preferred format for negotiations on Syria, and that Russia is keen to bring Iran as a major regional player into the talks. Lavrov had also reaffirmed Russia's support for Assad during the meeting, who had paid a surprise visit on Tuesday to Moscow where he and Putin discussed Russia's military operations in Syria.
Iranian foreign minister, for his part, outlined the Islamic Republic’s views on how to settle the current crisis, and highlighted the central role of the Syrian people in any solution to end the war that has ravaged the country for five long years.
MS/2949086