Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, and his Egyptian counterpart, Mohammad Kamel Amro, stressed the necessity of halting violence in Syria and initiating dialogue between the government and the opposition based on Geneva Communiqué.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the two sides stressed during a phone call the importance of coordination among all opposition groups to prepare for dialogue with the Syrian government to reach a compromise in light of the Russian-U.S. accord related to holding an international conference on Syria.
In the same context, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said that Lavrov will meet U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting of the Arctic Council set to be held in Kiruna city, Sweden.
Ryabkov said in a statement that the meeting is a follow-up for the talks which were held between the two sides in Moscow last week.
The international community is witnessing intensive political activism on Syria after the Russian-U.S. rapprochement based on Geneva Communiqué and the call for dialogue between the government and the opposition to reach a political solution that ends the crisis and lets all Syrians participate in planning the future of their country without foreign interference.
Lavrov: Moscow will not Change Stance on Crucial Issues, will Fulfill its Promise to Syria on Air Defense
In a relevant context, Lavrov stressed that Russia will not change its stance on many crucial issues under the current circumstances, adding that there are no deals with the West.
In an interview with al-Mayadin TV on Monday, Lavrov said that Russia will fulfill its promises to Syria concerning the air defense systems.
He placed emphasis on the necessity of Iran's participation in the upcoming Geneva meeting, adding that no agreement with the west has been reached yet in this regard.
The Russian Foreign Minister said that Moscow insists on the necessity of the participation of all sides which attended the Geneva conference held last year, in addition to Syria's neighborhood countries and Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Concerning the representation of the Syrian opposition in the conference, Lavrov said that Moscow believes that the participation should be comprehensive for all opposition parties with the exception of the terrorist and extremist parties.
He reiterated Russia's commitment to the agreements signed with Syria, particularly those related to the air defense, saying "We are not signing new contracts, but we are committed to the previous ones, particularly those related to the air defense."
Russia, Iran Emphasize Importance of Ending Violence in Syria
The Russian President's Special Envoy to the Middle East, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov discussed with the Iranian Ambassador in Moscow Mohammad Reza Sajjadi the situation in the Middle East, especially Syria developments.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the two sides ''laid emphasis on the importance of ending violence in Syria and launching a speedy political settlement, with the participation of the Syrians and through broad dialogue.''
The two sides stressed the importance that dialogue leads to ''achieving national accord according to Geneva communiqué.''
Russian Foreign Ministry: Syria Appreciates Russia's Call for Organizing Syria Conference
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that ''Syria had hailed Russia's efforts for solving the crisis in Syria, especially amid plans to organize an international conference on Syria.''
The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday that ''the Russian president's Middle East envoy, Mikhail Bogdanov received in Moscow on Monday the Syrian ambassador to Russia, Riad Haddad.''
The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement that ''The Syrian ambassador expressed appreciation for the efforts exerted by the Russian side for a speedy settlement to the crisis in Syria, according to the action group's statement issued in Geneva on June 30, 2012, and its call for organizing an international conference on Syria.''
Ki-Moon to visit Moscow between May 16th and 19th
The Ministry said that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon will visit Moscow between May 16th and 19th.
"Ki-Moon's talks in Moscow will deal with a number of international urgent issues including the Middle East and North Africa," the Ministry said in a statement.
The UN Chief described the Syrian file as the most important one on the agenda of his talks in Russia.
Kremlin: It is early to talk about Putin's Participation in the Conference on Syria
Spokesman for the Russian President Dmitry Peskov announced that the Kremlin has no detailed information about the international Conference on Syria and the talks about President Putin's participation in it is early.
"Everything will depend on the framework of this forum and the level of the participants in lit," Peskov added.
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