Tehran, Iran, Jan. 17
By Mehdi Sepahvand – Trend:
Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev and his Iranian counterpart Ali Shamkhani exchanged views over the ongoing crisis in Syria and a recent ceasefire in the Arab country over the telephone.
The two officials discussed the latest political, military and security developments in Syria in the wake of the ceasefire, IRNA news agency reported January 17.
No further details of the conversation were mentioned.
The phone call took place on the same night as Syria’s Prime Minister Emad Khamis traveled to Tehran on Jan. 16. He was slated to meet with Shamkhani and First Vice President Es’haq Jaghangiri.
Simultaneously on the diplomatic front, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov discussed the ceasefire which is the longest-lasting since unrests hit Syria in 2011.
The Syrian government and opposition groups are scheduled to sit down for talks in Astana, Kazakhstan in a few days. Iran and Russia back President Bashar al-Assad, but stress the Astana talks should put an end to the situation.