Iranian, Russian FMs Confer on Syria Crisis

During a phone conversation on Tuesday, Zarif and Kerry exchanged views on the need for a “stable political process” with the participation of the Syrian government and all opposition groups in order to put an end to the Arab country’s crisis, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"Ministers discussed the implementation of the ceasefire, programs of humanitarian assistance to Syria, and noted the necessity to establish a stable political process with a participation of representatives of the Syrian government and all circles of the opposition forces on the basis of the principles in the decisions by the International Syrian Support Group and resolutions 2254 and 2268 by the UN Security Council,'' RIA Novosti reported.

Also on Tuesday, Head of the Strategic Research Center of Iran's Expediency Council Ali Akbar Velayati had rejected claims that Russia’s support for Syria has faded, saying that Moscow is still adhered to its commitments to back “the legitimate government” of the Arab country.

The remarks came after the Syrian military announced on Monday that a fragile ceasefire in the northwestern Syrian city of Aleppo and its surroundings has been extended for another 48 hours.

"The extension of the ‘regime of calm’ in Aleppo and its countryside for a period of 48 hours will be from Tuesday 01:00 a.m. (2200 GMT on Monday) until midnight on Wednesday," the military said in a statement.

Aleppo, war-hit Syria’s second-largest city, has been divided between government forces in the west and militants in the east since 2012, a year after the conflict broke out in the country.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which has furthermore displaced over half of Syria’s pre-war population of about 23 million.