The annual G20 gathering on Thursday and Friday was held under Germany's chairmanship in the run-up to the Munich Security Conference that opened today in Bavaria.
Syria, Ukraine and stability
The Bonn meeting was conceived as a discussion on the role of foreign policy in tackling global challenges, German Foreign Ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer said ahead of the talks.
The host, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel confirmed on Friday that Syria and Ukraine dominated several G20 meetings and paved the way for the anticipated Geneva talks on the Syrian peace.
Both Gabriel and his French counterpart, Jean-Marc Ayrault, admitted today that Russia was important to Syrian reconciliation, with the French diplomat asking Moscow to put more pressure on Damascus to "stop seeing all opposition as terrorists."
The German host also urged G20 economies to work closer together to ensure global security and stability. Gabriel said Berlin was leading by example, spending roughly $42 billion a year on aid for developing countries as well as on projects tackling climate change and migration.
US-Russia meeting
During their landmark meeting on Thursday, the Russian and US foreign policy chiefs agreed to move toward resolving issues of mutual interest, while minding the outstanding differences between governments in Moscow and Washington.
"We have confirmed the existence of common interests… especially regarding the uncompromising fight against terrorism," Lavrov said in Bonn after the closed-door negotiations.
US sanctions against Russia over its alleged role in the Ukrainian crisis were not on the agenda, although the Russian foreign minister said they both regarded the existing restrictions as an "anomaly" that hindered the dialogue between the two nations.
He described the meeting in Bonn as "productive" and said an agreement had been made to maintain contacts, with more opportunities likely to present themselves in the coming months.