MOSCOW. Jan 26 (Interfax) - Russian and Egyptian foreign ministers Sergei Lavrov and Sameh Hassan Shoukry held telephone talks on Sunday on the Egyptian side's initiative.
"The talks dealt with ways to facilitate an early political settlement of the conflict in Syria by way of launching an inter-Syrian dialogue and on the basis of the Geneva Communique of June 30 2012. In this context, Shoukry spoke about the importance of the upcoming informal inter-Syrian contacts in Moscow," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, posted on its website.
The parties also discussed individual aspects of Rusian-Egyptian relations.
Consultations between Syrian officials and opposition are to begin in Moscow on Monday and last until January 29, earlier reports said.