Russian, U.S. FMs to meet "in the near future" over int'l issues

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday agreed to meet in the near future over a range of international issues.

According to an online statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry, the two during a phone conversation "agreed to continue the dialogue in a personal meeting in the near future."

Lavrov and Kerry reaffirmed support for UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura on organization of talks between the Syrian government officials and opposition's representative delegation.

They also exchanged views on other key international issues, including Ukraine crisis and the implementation of Minsk accords, tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia, recent nuclear test of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea as well as some issues on bilateral agenda.

Moreover, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov on Monday stressed the urgency of launching a broad intra-Syria dialogue on the basis of the 2012 Geneva Communique and UN resolution adopted on Dec. 18, 2015 without preliminary conditions.

Earlier in the day, the press attache of Russia's permanent mission to the UN Office in Geneva said that a meeting over Syria' s political settlement would be held Wednesday in the Russia-U.S.- UN format.

"Such a meeting will be held on January 13," Tass news agency quoted the official, Maria Khodynskaya-Golenishcheva, as saying.

Held once on Dec. 11 of 2015 in Geneva, this time's tripartite meeting would be attended by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Anne Patterson and UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.

Meanwhile, peace talks involving both the Syrian government and various opposition groups have been scheduled for Jan. 25 in Geneva.

In another development, the Russian Defense Ministry on Monday concluded the ongoing anti-terrorism airstrike mission held in Syria, which began on Sept. 30 of 2015.

A total of 311 sorties have been made over the first 10 days of 2016, during which strikes were delivered at 1,097 facilities, the ministry said in an online statement.

The Russian air forces helped both Syrian government army and "patriotic opposition units" continue their offensive against terrorists, according to the statement.

"As a result of air strikes by Russian combat planes, terrorist groups are suffering considerable manpower and military hardware casualties." Enditem