Lavrov, UN chief discuss preparation for inter-Syrian talks - Foreign Ministry

MOSCOW, January 22. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon have discussed in a phone conversation the Ukrainian crisis settlement and the preparation for the inter-Syrian talks, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday. The phone conversation was held on Thursday "at the initiative of the Russian side to discuss various aspects of settling the crisis in Ukraine," the ministry said. The sides "stressed the need for all actions of the international community to be in line with the UN Security Council Resolution 2202 that approved the February 12, 2015 Minsk agreements, including the central role of the Contact Group, the OSCE special mission and the Normandy Four," the ministry said. The conversation also focused on the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 2253 on the fight against the Islamic State terrorist group banned in Russia and "the preparation for the talks of the Syrian government with the opposition groups and certain aspects of the humanitarian situation in the Syrian Arab Republic." The next round of talks on Syrian settlement was scheduled by the United Nations for January 25 but media reports say that the date may be postponed due to persisting disagreements. Read more