The conversation included a substantive exchange on the prospects of developments in the Middle East, primarily in the context of the concluding stage of the fight against international terrorism in Syria.
Vladimir Putin discussed the results of his talks with President of Syria Bashar al-Assad and the objectives of the November 22 trilateral summit in Sochi of Russia, Iran and Turkey, the guarantor countries of the Astana peace process. To this end, the importance of the work to organise the National Dialogue Conference was underscored, as the event is designed to give additional impetus to inter-Syrian dialogue and, along with the Astana format, facilitate the work underway in Geneva under the aegis of the UN.
Practical issues related to the situation in the southern de-escalation zone in Syria were discussed.
Both parties expressed interest in furthering mutually beneficial cooperation in a variety of areas, including contacts between special services.