Lavrov to discuss Syrian situation with Turkish top diplomat

ANKARA, August 14. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu and also take part in a meeting of Turkey’s ambassadors and permanent representatives to international organizations on Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that the Russian top diplomat would address such a meeting for the first time. "It points to a high level of mutual trust between the Russian and Turkish foreign ministers and the fact that the two countries have common interests in a number of fields and are determined to boost partnership and coordination to resolve pressing global and regional issues," the statement reads. "In his address, Lavrov will present an overview of Russia’s current foreign policy priorities and approaches to key issues concerning modern international relations," the Russian Foreign Ministry added. Preparations for summit on Syria The Russian and Turkish foreign ministers have already met several times since the beginning of the year, their previous meeting took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN events in Singapore on August 2. The parties are expected to discuss the situations in the Middle East, North Africa, the South Caucasus, Central Asia, Ukraine and the Black Sea region during their Ankara meeting, focusing on ways to improve the situation in Syria. The two top diplomats "will exchange views on ways to advance the process of political settlement in Syria through building an inclusive national dialogue based on generally recognized international rules," the statement says, adding that Moscow believes "Russia and Turkey have a special responsibility to ensure peace, security and stability in Syria and the entire region." On July 30-31, Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi hosted the tenth meeting of the three guarantors of the Syrian ceasefire (Russia, Iran and Turkey), who agreed to work for the return of refugees to Syria. Russian Special Presidential Envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev said in an interview with TASS that Turkey currently hosted more than 3.5 mln Syrian refugees so Moscow had proposed to Ankara that a plan of refugee activities be made in order to facilitate the return of refugees to their homes. Meanwhile, the situation in the Idlib de-escalation zone that Turkey is responsible for remains tense. It is the only one of Syria’s regions still held by illegal armed groups that have already been defeated in Eastern Ghouta and southern Syria. Lavrov and Cavusoglu will also assess preparations for a summit of Russia, Turkey, Germany and France, scheduled to take place in Istanbul on September 7, which has been initiated by Turkish President Recet Tayyip Erdogan. The summit’s participants are expected to focus on issues related to humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees. Visas issue, trade barriers The Russian Foreign Ministry also pointed to growing trade between the two countries. "We are pleased to note that in the January to May period of 2018, bilateral trade grew by 46.2% compared to the same period of 2017, reaching nearly $11.4 bln," the statement says. The Ankara talks will discuss ways to boost trade and economic ties, including the removal of trade barriers and the expansion of the list of agricultural goods. The parties also plan to consider the prospects for easing visa restrictions. "We confirm our readiness to ease visa restrictions for certain categories of Turkish citizens," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Russian Ambassador to Turkey Alexei Yerkhov earlier said in an interview with TASS that visas could be facilitated for holders of official passports and businessmen. The Russian and Turkish foreign ministers will pay particular attention to the implementation of joint energy projects, including the construction of the Akkyuy Nuclear Power Plant and the TurkStream gas pipeline. In addition, the two top diplomats will discuss steps to boost cultural and humanitarian cooperation between Russia and Turkey. "This includes facilitating the activities of the Russian-Turkish Public Forum established to deepen social and humanitarian ties and monitoring preparations for the 2019 Joint Year of Culture and Tourism," the Russian Foreign Ministry noted. Read more