Russian Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said there should be no ‘concessions to terrorists’ at talks with his Turkish counterpart on Syria.
“This tragedy forces all of us to fight more decisively against terrorism,” Lavrov told Turkey’s Mevlut Cavusoglu as they sat down together in Moscow on Tuesday.
“For this reason, I very much hope that our talks and the upcoming three-way meeting with our Iranian colleague will allow us to reach agreements, which will through concrete actions advance the settlement in Syria,” Lavrov said, also insisting that they should not allow “any concessions to terrorists”.
Foreign and defence ministers from Russia, Turkey and Iran are holding talks on the conflict in Syria, which has entered a crucial stage with the government takeover of rebel-held eastern Aleppo.
Lavrov said he hoped the countries would come up with “the most effective and concrete steps” to normalise the situation in Syria and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to desperate civilians.
The United States has been left out of the talks in a clear sign that Moscow is attempting to forge its own settlement for Syria after failing to make headway with Washington.
The Moscow meetings come after Russian envoy Andrei Karlov was gunned down on Monday at an exhibition opening in Ankara by a Turkish policeman crying “Don’t forget Aleppo”, in what Moscow called a “terrorist act”.
Russia and Iran are on the opposite side of the Syrian conflict from Turkey. Turkey and Russia have started working closely together to evacuate rebel fighters and civilians from war-battered Aleppo under a complex deal.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday warned that the killing of Karlov was a “provocation” aimed at damaging ties with Turkey and undermining the latest efforts to reach a settlement on Syria.