Russian, Iranian FMs discuss developments in Syria

By Diyar Guldogan and Mustafa Melih Ahishali

ANKARA/TEHRAN

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif spoke over the phone about the developments in Syria on Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Lavrov and Zarif discussed the developments in Syria and details around it, the ministry said in a statement.

"They emphasized the need to further coordinate efforts in the Iran-Russia-Turkey format to facilitate settlement of the conflict in Syria, including the preparations for intra-Syrian talks in Astana," it added.

The ministers also talked about cooperation with the UN’s Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.

De Mistura supported the results of a trilateral meeting on Syria held between Russia, Iran and Turkey on Dec. 20 in Moscow.

Meanwhile, Lavrov also had a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu on Thursday after the warring parties in Syria agreed to a nationwide cease-fire scheduled to start on Dec. 30 at 12 midnight local time (2200GMT).

Cavusoglu and Lavrov exchanged views on the current situation in Syria and on the steps that will be taken in the upcoming period, a Turkish diplomatic source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said.