Moscow Forum Allowed Russia, Arab States to Exchange Views on Syria

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum in Moscow allowed the participants to exchange their opinions on a set of the Middle East-related problems, including the Syrian crisis, Algerian Minister of Maghreb Affairs, African Union and the Arab League Abdelkader Messahel said Friday.

Earlier in the day, the Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum was held in the Russian capital, with the issues of the Middle East and Africa, including the fight against terrorism, crisis-solving strategies and responses to common threats, among the points on its agenda.

"The moment to hold the forum has been chosen well, because we succeeded in discussing the problems of Syria, Libya and Yemen," Messahel said at a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Messahel added that he congratulated Lavrov on the signing of the forum's declaration, describing it as a "great achievement."

Representatives of the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, as well as the secretary general of the Arab League, attended the event.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, while the international community, including Russia and the Arab states, has been making efforts to settle the crisis.