Moscow, Tehran Share Opinions on Syrian Crisis Settlement

Russia and Iran share a common view on the settlement of the Middle Eastern political and social crises, including the nearly five-year conflict in Syria, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir- Abdollahian said Wednesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Tehran also supports the efforts of UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura to ensure dialogue with Syria, he stressed.

"Moscow and Tehran have common position on the regulation of the Middle East problems, we also have the same position on Syria… Moscow and Tehran support political regulation of the Syrian conflict," Abdollahian told reporters at the Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency.

Since 2011, Syria has been mired in a civil war with government forces fighting a number of militant groups and opposition factions.

The intra-Syrian peace talks in Geneva are scheduled to begin on Friday, January 29 in a bid to end the ongoing carnage in the Arab republic. The peace process involving both Syrian opposition forces and the government of President Bashar Assad is expected to last six months, according to de Mistura.