Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks with UN Special Representative for Syria Geir Pedersen on Thursday in Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"On August 25, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov received the special envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Syria, Geir Pedersen, who is in Moscow," the ministry said.

In the course of a thorough conversation, the two diplomats had a substantive discussion took place on topical aspects of a comprehensive Syrian settlement with an emphasis on advancing the political process led and carried out by the Syrians themselves with the assistance of the UN, as provided for by UNSCR 2254, it said.

"Particular attention was paid to the activities of the Intra-Syrian Constitutional Committee, formed by decision of the participants in the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi in 2018. At the same time, the importance of continuing a rhythmic and productive dialogue at this negotiation platform was confirmed," the ministry added.

The tasks of contributing to the normalization of the social and economic situation in Syria were discussed as well.

"In this context, the need was noted for providing humanitarian assistance to all Syrians in need throughout Syria without discrimination, politicization, and preconditions on the basis of respect for the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the country," the Russian Foreign Ministry noted.

Read more: Russian-Syrian coordination: The US is looting Syrian oil

The Syrian government has lately been dealing with a number of severe issues, ranging from the looting of its oil supplies by US forces, the violation of its territorial sovereignty by Turkey, widespread terrorism spearheaded by DAESH, frequent attacks from "Israel", as well as a series of economic sanctions imposed by the US and its allies. 

In the face of all of these burdens, the Syrian government still shows signs of resilience and persistence. 

Iran and Russia have both expressed a willingness to strengthen the Syrian state. But the negotiation processes are still weighted by conflicting geopolitical interests, especially from the Turkish side. 

The Iranian Tasnim News Agency reported on Saturday that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will potentially meet on the sidelines of the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit (SCO) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

“Our region, which suffers from the scourge of war, destruction, terrorism, and epidemics, is subjected to systematic destruction targeting its history and human civilization. The right to life and self-determination must be safeguarded away from injustice, domination, and exploitation practiced by some forces and regimes that support terrorism and that do not value neither law nor humanitarian or moral principles," - Gen. Minister of Defense, Gen. Ali Mahmoud Abbas on August 16 at the Moscow Int’l Security Conference. 

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