SOCHI (Sputnik) – Earlier in the day, Gernot Erler, a German commissioner for German-Russian coordination, said that a wide platform for negotiations, similar to that being used to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, should be created for Syria, adding that Moscow's participation in the talks was crucial.
"In regard to the Syrian settlement, we have a common interest in promoting the start of a meaningful, specific, results-oriented political process under the auspices of the United Nations," Lavrov told reporters after a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Feridun Sinirlioglu in the Russian southwestern city of Sochi.
Moscow has provided an international platform for resolving the ongoing civil war, having hosted two rounds of talks between Syrian opposition groups and government officials in 2015.
Turkey is estimated to be currently hosting over one million Syrian refugees, a number which is expected to rise to 1.7 million during 2015, according to the UN data.
