German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Berlin on Tuesday with the situation in the Middle East, in particular, the return of refugees to Syria, a key part of the talks.
“The meeting was agreed to recently during a telephone call between Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin,’’ a spokeswoman for the chancellor said.
In addition, the German Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas, and Russia’s top general, Valery Gerasimov, attended the Berlin talks which also focused on the long-running conflict in Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement the talks in Berlin discussed the “preparation of conditions for the return of refugees” to Syria, which has been in the grip of a bloody seven-year civil war.
According to a separate statement, Gerasimov and Lavrov were in Israel the day before for a previously unannounced meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during which they also discussed Syria.
Russia, the main military backer of the Syrian government has been winding down military operations in recent months while attempting to cultivate a peacemaker role in the Middle East.
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