Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad condemned the use of unilateral and illegal sanctions against Damascus, which has become the norm for the United States and its allies.

Iran PressEurope: On Thursday Russia's Foreign Ministry in a statement said that Lavrov and Faisal Mekdad met in Moscow, during which the two sides exchanged views on developments in and around Syria.

The meeting also focused on advancing the political settlement of the Syrian issue in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2254, including the activities of the Syrian Constitutional Committee.

In this regard, Lavrov stressed Russia's principled stance to support Syrian sovereignty and territorial integrity and the legal right of the Syrian people to determine the fate of their country.

According to the statement, the Russian and Syrian foreign ministers stressed the need to continue efforts to resolve important issues facing Syria, including humanitarian issues, in the framework of the Astana talks, the only international mechanism to help resolve the Syrian issue which has proven its effectiveness. 219