Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov met with Swiss Ambassador to Russia Krystyna Marty Lang to discuss the situation in the Middle East with an emphasis on the tasks necessary for the settlement of the situation in Syria, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th June, 2023) Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov met with Swiss Ambassador to Russia Krystyna Marty Lang to discuss the situation in the middle East with an emphasis on the tasks necessary for the settlement of the situation in Syria, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
"During the conversation, an exchange of views took place on the Middle East issues with an emphasis on the tasks of the Syrian settlement, as well as on the current African agenda," the ministry said.
The armed conflict in Syria has been ongoing since 2011, with various insurgent groups, including terrorist organizations, fighting the Syrian armed forces to oust the government of President Bashar Assad. In January 2018, the Russian city of Sochi hosted a congress of the Syrian National Dialogue, the first such attempt since the beginning of the conflict to bring together an inclusive pool of Syrian political forces. The main outcome of the congress was the decision to create a constitutional committee, which will operate out of Geneva and whose main task will be to prepare for constitutional reform in Syria.
In June 2022, Russia suggested that a new venue should be chosen for meetings of the Syrian constitutional committee, expressing concerns that Switzerland had lost its impartiality and neutral status.
Last week, Russian envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev said he had discussed with UN envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen options for holding Syrian constitutional committee talks in another country.
