SYRIAN FM TO DISCUSS PEACE EFFORTS IN MOSCOW

Damascus, 12 Ramadan 1436/29 June 2015 (MINA) – Syria’s foreign minister will meet his Russian counterpart in Moscow next week to discuss ways to resolve the conflict in Syria, Russia’s foreign ministry said on Saturday.

Separately, Syria’s ambassador to Russia told Interfax news agency that Damascus still depended on Russia for arms and technical assistance.

Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid Muallem and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov would discuss steps to renew the political process of resolving the Syrian conflict when they meet next week, the ministry said. World Bulletin reports as quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA).

It also reiterated Moscow’s call for direct dialogue between Damascus and opposition groups.

Civil war in Syria since 2011 has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced millions, the United Nations says.

Russia is a staunch ally of Syria and a big exporter of arms to Syria, refusing to bow to the pressure from West to abandon sales.

“Russia provides all the technical and military support and sticks to all military deals, clinched between our countries,” Syria’s ambassador in Moscow, Riad Khaddad, was quoted as saying by Interfax.

“I won’t tell you, what kind of weapons Russia supplies, but I’d stress that it provides Syria with everything, which is necessary,” Khaddad said, according to Interfax. (T/P002/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)