"Russia is an important actor in the Syrian issue and its role will be crucial in the settlement of the conflict. We agree with the Russians on a number of the Syrian-related issues," the ambassador said, answering a question about the contradictions between the two states as to the conflict in the Middle Eastern state.
Attiyah added that both Russia and Qatar have a common view on the necessity of Syria's territorial integrity and of religious pluralism in the crisis-torn country.
"The differences in points of view are stemming from the ways of achieving goals and their implementation. We maintain cooperation and dialogue with Russia's political leadership on a permanent basis to solve the Syrian conflict as soon as possible," Attiyah said, on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
The international community, including Russia and Qatar, has been taking steps in order to settle the Syrian civil war that broke out in 2011. In April, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani agreed that maximum efforts should be exerted to reach political settlements and a full ceasefire in the crisis-torn state.
SPIEF kicked off in Russia's northwestern city of St. Petersburg earlier in the day and will continue until Saturday. The international event gathers together representatives of dozens of countries, as well as several world leaders. Sputnik News Agency is an official media partner of the forum.
