Lavrov, Kerry discussed the situation in Syria, Ukraine

MOSCOW, (ST ) _Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his U.S. counterpart, John Kerry, in a telephone call today discussed the situation in Syria and Ukraine, issues pertinent to settling issues in the Middle East and ” some of the most pressing issues ” on the bilateral agenda.

In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that ” the foreign ministers of the two countries expressed in the telephone call today, at the initiative of the American side, a unified vision of the need to activate the direct talks between the parties to the crisis in Syria in Geneva”

 Concerning Ukraine, the Russian side renewed the ” urgent need to restore the situation in Kiev to the legal status and implement the agreements signed on 21 February, including primarily the cessation of radical extremists and encourage national reconciliation, on the ground of serving the interests of all political forces and all Ukrainian areas  “.

A similar telephone call was made yesterday between Lavrov and Kerry at the initiative of the American side, during which the Russian side, stressed the need to implement all the agreements between Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and opposition, especially the agreement signed on February 21, certified by the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Poland, and supported by the United States, and to provide guarantees of implementation.

T. Fateh