In a meeting with the visiting Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Moscow on Monday, Bogdanov added that Russia welcomes exchange of views with Iran on regional issues and the Syrian crisis in particular.

The Iranian official, for his part, stressed the importance of holding the Geneva II conference on Syria and resolving the crisis in the Arab country through political channels.

“We believe that putting an end to violence in Syria is a prerequisite for successful political dialog about the ongoing crisis in the country,” Amir-Abdollahian said.

On May 7, Russia and the United States agreed in the Russian capital, Moscow, to convene an international conference on Syria, which will serve as a follow-up to an earlier Geneva meeting held in June 2012.

The date of the event has changed many times as the foreign-backed opposition remains divided over attending the talks.

The Syrian government has agreed to take part in the talks, but has rejected preconditions or any insistence on the departure of President Assad.

Iran has said that it is ready to take part in the planned Geneva II conference on the Syrian crisis “if invited without any preconditions.”

Amir-Abdollahian also emphasized that the Syrian people must decide about ways to settle the unrest in their country, saying, “We will proceed with our strong support for the Syrian government and nation to resolve the country’s issues.”

He noted that Tehran and Moscow share a common stance on regional issues and developments in Syria.

RA/NJF