Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin held a conversation with the Syrian Ambassador in Moscow, Riyad Haddad, during which the parties discussed the Syrian settlement, including the prospects for advancing the political process in the country, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.
"The parties had a detailed exchange of views on all issues of the Syrian settlement, including the situation on the ground in Syria in the context of the need to combat terrorism, measures to provide humanitarian assistance to all in need, including taking into account the negative impact of unilateral sanctions and the prospects of advancing the political process led and implemented by Syrians themselves on the basis of respect of sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the country", the statement on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry reads.
Armed conflict has been ongoing in Syria since 2011. Negotiations in Nur-Sultan, known as the Astana format (after the former name of the capital of Kazakhstan), have been underway since 2017, and in January 2018, the Congress of the Syrian national dialogue was held in Sochi, which was the first attempt since the beginning of the conflict to gather a wide range of participants on one negotiating platform. The main result of the Congress was the decision to create a Constitutional Committee, which works in Geneva and whose main task is to prepare a constitutional reform.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"