Sputnik Africa is live as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is holding a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart Asaad al Shibani in Moscow.
The Russian Foreign Ministry is ready to develop a dialogue with Damascus in order to maintain friendly and mutually beneficial relations, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said on Thursday ahead of the talks between the top diplomats.
The countries "have something to talk about, especially today," Vershinin noted.
Contacts between Moscow and Damascus regarding the presence of Russian military bases in Syria continue, the deputy foreign minister added.