Turkish, Russian FMs discuss terror fight in Syria

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Top diplomats of Turkey and Russia Thursday discussed the latest developments in the Syrian settlement process over the phone, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Mevlut Cavusoglu and Sergey Lavrov also exchanged views on the efforts they put within the framework of the Astana format, an official website statement read.

"The ministers reaffirmed the mutual commitment and common approaches to the fight against terrorist elements in Syria in order to stabilize the situation in the country as soon as possible and move forward in its political settlement," it said.

Cavusoglu and Lavrov also addressed the upcoming bilateral contacts of high and highest level.

Last year was marked with the intensified Turkish-Russian contacts. The leaders of the two countries held six bilateral meetings over the year.

2019 took a more intensified pace; President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin met two times within two months, and two more meetings are expected to take place in the upcoming months.

In March, the leaders will meet for the talks in the Astana format, while Russian-Turkish High-Level Cooperation Council session will gather them in April.