Syria, Russia FMs discuss regional issues in phone call
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Faisal Mekdad and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov discussed on Monday pressing regional issues and the situation in and around Syria.
In a phone call initiated by Mekdad, “the top diplomats exchanged views on the pressing problems on the regional agenda. They discussed in detail the situation in and around Syria,” Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Bilateral relations between Syria and Russia, particularly with regards to political consultation, coordination of stances, and the exchange of support at the UN were also among the issues tackled by the two diplomats.
Mekdad expressed his country’s support to Russia’s “special military operation in Donbas, and in the face of different attempts to target Russia’s national security and stability,” according to the stat-run SANA News Agency.
On June 24, the commander of Russia’s Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, staged a short-lived mutiny against the country’s defense establishment.
The Wagner group is a Russian state-funded paramilitary organization composed of mercenaries emerged as an important tool in Russia’s arsenal over the past decade. The mercenaries have fought in numerous international conflicts, including Syria. The Wagner group still maintains a presence in government-held parts of the country, including the vicinity of Homs and Palmyra.
For his part, Russia’s Lavrov stressed the importance of the readmission of Syria to the Arab League, and its positive influence on the developments in the Middle East and North Africa.
Arab foreign ministers of the Arab League agreed on May 7 on Syria’s official return to its seat in the Arab League after more than 10 years of suspension.