Russian President Vladimir Putin met on Wednesday Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign and Expatriates Minister Walid al-Muallem in Sochi, Russia.
Later, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed with Muallem the bilateral relations between Syria and Russia.
Following talks, Muallem expressed satisfaction over the outcomes of his talks with President Putin and Minister Lavrov, announcing that Putin confrmed Russia’s determination to cooperate with Syria and with President Bashar al-Assad to defeat terrorism and deepen the strategic partnership.
At a press conference with Lavrov, Muallem said the talks dealt with "the situation in the region and the conspiracy against Syria, that has become well known to all, by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey", clarifying that he affirmed to the Russian leadership the Syrian peoples’ determination to combat terrorism.
"Talks also dealt with the mission of U.N. Envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, and the two sides had identical viewpoints on the need for supporting his efforts to freeze the situation in Aleppo," Muallem said.
He added both sides discussed the Russian ideas about holding a Syrian-Syrian dialogue in Moscow.
"I listened with great interest to those ideas and we agreed to continue consultations to put a joint vision leading to a political solution in Syria," Muallem said.
Lavrov said there is a joint vision on what is happening in the region in general, and in Syria, in particular, saying that the main issue is the attempts by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist organization to establish "a caliphate with extremist regimes" in Syria and Iraq.
He affirmed his country’s commitment to supporting Syria in combating terrorism.
"We condemn any attempt by terrorist organizations to topple the regime (in Syria)… we reached a unified position with Muallem that there is no solution (to the crisis) using force in Syria," Lavrov said.
He also condemned the U.S.-led airstrikes in Syria without the approval of the Syrian government which contradicts international law, affirming that Washington’s refusal to cooperate with Damascus in combating terrorism is totally unjustified.
The Russian minister went on to say that it is very important to find suitable conditions for a political solution in Syria, pointing out that his country supports de Mistura’s efforts, but said "the last word will be by Syrians".
Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer
