Lavrov and Tillerson discussed future talks on Syria in Astana
On May 1st, TASS reported that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. The diplomats discussed, among other things, a meeting in Astana dedicated to the Syrian settlement, the press service of the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.
"The foreign ministers briefly exchanged views on the international meeting on Syria held in Astana on May 3rd and 4th," the Ministry's statement says.
Other aspects of bilateral relations were also discussed. "A schedule of forthcoming Russian-American contacts was discussed, including the talks during the Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting in Fairbanks in the USA on May 10-11," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The fourth high-level international meeting on settling the situation in Syria will be held in the capital of Kazakhstan from 3 to 4 May. Expert-level negotiations have been planned for the evening of May 2. Delegations from the guarantor countries of the cessation of hostilities (Russia, Turkey and Iran), as well as representatives of the United Nations, Jordan, the United States and the government of Syria took part in the previous international meeting on Syria, which took place from March 14 to 15.