Lavrov, de Mistura to Discuss Syrian Settlement at St. Petersburg Forum

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and UN's Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura will discuss prospects for Syrian settlement at the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said Thursday.

ST. PETERSBURG (Sputnik) — The deputy minister noted that Russia calls for a quick resumption of intra-Syrian negotiations and will ask de Mistura about the dates of a new round of talks.

"Today, there are going to be contacts with [UN Secretary-General] Ban Ki-moon and with de Mistura's delegation, there is going to be a separate meting between Sergey Viktorovich [Lavrov] and de Mistura. They will discuss Syria," Bogdanov told reporters.

 

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups. A US-Russia-brokered ceasefire came into force across Syria on February 27.