Russia, US Participation in Syrian Settlement 'Sign of Hope' - Steinmeier

The combined involvement of Russia and the United States in the Syrian settlement brings hope for the Middle East region, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Tuesday.

BERLIN (Sputnik) — On October 30, top diplomats from almost 20 countries, including Russia and the United States, as well as UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, met in the Austrian capital of Vienna to discuss efforts to end to the four-year war in Syria. A second round of international talks on the Syrian crisis will be held in Vienna on Saturday.

"Even four weeks ago I could barely imagine that we would manage to bring Russia and the United States together on the Syrian issue. The sides appeared to be even more disunited since the Russian military presence in Syria. The fact that we have managed to do so is a sign of hope for the country and the region," Steinmeier said in his opening remarks at the fifth Berlin Foreign Policy Forum.

Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with the country’s government fighting a number of opposition factions and radical Islamist groups, including Islamic State and the Nusra Front.

The United States and its allies have been conducting airstrikes on ISIL positions in Syria since 2014 without approval from the UN Security Council or Damascus.

Russia has been conducting precision airstrikes against terrorist targets in Syria at the request of President Bashar Assad since September 30.