But the
high-stakes discussion was held behind closed doors and neither side disclosed
its details.
"The
meeting was devoted to Russian-Syrian relations," the Kremlin said in a
two-sentence statement issued after Muallem`s visit to Putin`s Black Sea retreat
in Sochi.
Russian news
agencies quoted Muallem as saying only that the meeting was "very
productive".
Images
distributed by Putin`s office showed Muallem also meeting his Russian
counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
Russian
officials earlier said they intended to offer Moscow as the venue for a restart
of abandoned peace talks between the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
and various opposition groups.
Two previous
rounds of Syria peace negotiations in Geneva in June 2012 and last January
ended in failure and no new meetings in Switzerland are currently being
planned.
Russian news
reports quoted Lavrov as saying after the meeting that no new Geneva talks were
possible at this time.
But he fell
short of formally offering Moscow as the venue for future contacts.
"If you
think that a conference will be announced similar to the one that was held in
... January this year with the participation of 50-odd states, thousands of
journalists, bright lights, there won`t be such a conference," Interfax
quoted Lavrov as saying.
"Considering
the conflicts that have built up over recent years, considering the persistent
attempts at external interference in the Syrian conflict, it is clear that
(preparations for direct negotiations) are far from simple and will need time."
Muallem was
quoted earlier this month in Lebanon`s Al-Akhbar newspaper as saying that he
would raise the issue of Russia`s stalled shipment of sophisticated S-300
missiles to protect Syrian forces from possible US air strikes.
Russia -- now
embroiled in a major diplomatic row with the West over Ukraine -- suspended
their delivery in 2013 under pressure from Israel and the United States.
Lavrov was
quoted only as saying that "Russia will continue helping Syria protect
itself against terrorism."
The multi-sided
Syrian conflict has killed more than 195,000 people and forced millions from
their homes since it began in early 2011 as an uprising against Assad`s regime.
Syrian rebel
leaders have paid a series of brief visits to Moscow that only highlighted
stark differences between the two sides.
The fractured
opposition is furious at Russia for providing Assad`s forces with weapons and
offering diplomatic backing for Syria at the United Nations.
Moscow in turn
accuses the rebels of rejecting political dialogue and in some cases engaging
in terrorism.
Damascus was an
important Middle East ally of Moscow in the Soviet era.
Russia and Iran
remain two of the most important and powerful friends of the Assad regime.
SOURCE :Zeenews..
