Top Russian, Turkish diplomats discuss coordination on Syria

SYRIA. APRIL 11, 2016. Ruins of Ugarit, an ancient port city, in Ras Shamra, northern Syria. Sergei Bobylev/TASS
Ñèðèÿ. 14 àïðåëÿ 2016. Ðóèíû äðåâíåãî òîðãîâîãî ãîðîäà-ãîñóäàðñòâà Óãàðèò, íàõîäèâøåãîñÿ íà òåððèòîðèè ñîâðåìåííîé Ñèðèè. Ñåðãåé Áîáûëåâ/ÒÀÑÑ

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu have discussed efforts to step up coordination in the war on terror and a political settlement in Syria at a meeting in Bangkok, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported on Wednesday. 

“[The parties] discussed in detail measures to step up coordination of actions with respect to Syria in terms of combating terrorism and intensifying the political settlement process based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254 and on the decisions of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress,” the ministry said.

Both ministers “expressed hope for the speedy launch of practical work of the Syrian Constitutional Committee.”

Lavrov and Cavusoglu also “reiterated their mutual commitment to intensifying work to further develop Russian-Turkish relations in line with the agreements reached by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan at their meetings in Dushanbe and Osaka in June.

 “[They] discussed the current state and prospects for bilateral cooperation in trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres and the current interaction between the two countries’ Foreign Ministries,” the Russian Foreign Ministry added.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN ministerial meeting.