"The discussion focused on the problem of political settlement of the Syrian crisis," the statement said. "They reaffirmed the necessity of the soonest restart of a broad intra-Syrian dialogue based on the June 30, 2012 Geneva Communique and the UNSC Resolution 2254 of December 18, 2015 with no preconditions."
The diplomats also touched on matters of bilateral importance, including relations between Moscow and Damascus, according to the statement. The meeting was initiated by the Syrian side.
Syria has been locked in an armed conflict since 2011. The government of President Bashar Assad is fighting against several international Islamist groups, as well as a number of opposition forces. In the past year, Syrian authorities and opposition factions inside the country met several times in an attempt to restart peace talks.
