Lavrov, Qatar’s foreign minister to talk steps on Syria settlement in Moscow

MOSCOW, December 23. /TASS/. The foreign ministers of Russia and Qatar, Sergey Lavrov and Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah, are due to meet in Moscow on Friday to discuss further steps as part of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), Russia’s Foreign Ministry has said. Lavrov and Al Attiyah will discuss in detail the outcome of the December 18 ministerial meeting in New York and the UN Security Council session. "We continue considering as unconditional priority the goal of creating a broad international coalition on the fight against the Islamic State and other terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq," the ministry said. The sides will also focus on strengthening political coordination as part of the strategic dialogue between Russia and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf. Another ministerial meeting will be held in Moscow next year. The foreign ministers will discuss the issues of ensuring security in the Persian Gulf zone including in the context of the Russian initiative in this sphere. Another important issue for discussion at the upcoming talks is the coordination of actions of Russia and Qatar in the energy sphere, including gas, amid the remaining tensions on the global hydrocarbon markets. The ISSG consists of the Arab League, China, Egypt, the European Union, France, Germany, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United Nations, and the United States. Read more