MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault during a phone call have reached an agreement on the cooperation of Moscow and Paris in preparing the next round of intra-Syrian negotiations in Geneva, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Saturday.
"During the discussion of the situation in Syria, Lavrov expressed satisfaction over the progress in Astana [talks], noting that non-participation of the armed opposition groups in the latest meeting only shows that some countries are still trying to prevent the peaceful settlement under the resolution 2254 of the UN Security Council. The ministers have agreed on the cooperation between the representatives of Russia and France within the framework of preparation and holding of the next round of intra-Syrian negotiations that will start in Geneva on March 23," the ministry said in a statement.
The phone call was organized upon the initiative of France.
