Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu have discussed implementation of the deals reached Thursday between the Syrian government and opposition with the mediation of Moscow and Ankara, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday.
"On December 30, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a phone conversation with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu," the statement said.
"The ministers continued to discuss the set of issues connected with the implementation of provisions of the documents signed on December 29 by the government of Syria and opposition with the mediation of Moscow and Ankara, and taking into account the negotiations of the foreign and defense ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran on December 20 this year," it said.
"The sides stressed the importance of compliance by all the opposition groups with the regime of cessation of hostilities and manifestation of constructive approaches by them in the context of preparation for the upcoming meeting in Astana," the ministry said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Thursday that the Syrian government and armed opposition groups had reached an agreement on a ceasefire on Syrian territory and on readiness to start peace talks.
Three ceasefire documents were signed between the Syrian government and the armed opposition forces. The ceasefire took effect at 00:00 local time Friday, December 30 (22:00 GMT on Thursday). The documents also introduced a monitor mechanism and set forth that the parties are ready to start peace negotiations.
On December 17, Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed in a phone call the possibility of a meeting between the Syrian conflicting parties in Astana. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev supported this initiative and expressed readiness to provide a platform for such talks in the Kazakh capital.
On Thursday, December 29, Lavrov said that Russia, along with Turkey and Iran, is starting preparation for the Astana meeting on Syria.
SPUTNIK/MNA
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