MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th June, 2020) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, discussed by phone the coronavirus pandemic and a phased restoration of cooperation, as well as situation in the middle East, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday.
"The parties substantively discussed prospects of interaction between the two countries in various fields amid gradual decrease in the incidence of coronavirus infection globally. They agreed to maintain close coordination in the process of a phased restoration of bilateral cooperation," the statement says.
In addition, the ministers exchanged views on current events in the Middle East, analyzing progress of Russian-Turkish agreements on Idlib de-escalation zone in the context of implementation of the additional protocol of March 5, 2020, to the Sochi Memorandum of September 17, 2018.
Lavrov and Cavusoglu also reaffirmed mutual commitment to helping create conditions for reconciliation of the warring parties in Libya, the ministry said.
"Mutual attitude has been reaffirmed to help create conditions for reconciliation of the warring parties in Libya in the interests of a political and diplomatic settlement under UN auspices. The need for the early appointment of a new UN Secretary General's special representative for Libya has been confirmed," it said.
The ministers also spoke out in favor of overcoming the impasse in the Palestinian-Israeli settlement through direct negotiations between the parties with the support of the Middle East Quartet of international mediators, the League of Arab States, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
