TEHRAN – Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Jaberi Ansari meet on Tuesday with his Russian counterpart, Mikhail Bogdanov, to discuss issues of mutual interest, including regional development, especially the Syrian crisis, IRNA reported.

Heading a high-ranking delegation, Jaberi Ansari left Tehran for Moscow on Tuesday to meet Russian officials and discuss regional cooperation between Tehran and Moscow and exchange views on the latest developments.

The diplomat has been Iran’s top negotiator in the peace talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana aimed at ending the Syria crisis through diplomacy.

The 7th round of Syria peace talks, brokered by Iran, Russia, and Turkey, was held in Astana on October 30 and 31.

Back in May, the fourth round of the talks produced a memorandum of understanding on de-escalation zones in Syria, sharply reducing fighting in the country.

Diplomatic efforts to end fighting in Syria gained momentum in 2017 with the announcement of a ceasefire in the Arab country in early January.

According to a report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of more than 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.

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