Dialogue important for stability in Middle East: Russia

Russian-Turkish dialogues are important for stability in the Middle East, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed a number of issues, focusing on Syria, on the sidelines of a 4-nation Syria summit in Istanbul, according to a statement released after the meeting.

"The results of the meeting demonstrated the importance of the Russian-Turkish political dialogue for strengthening peace and stability in the region," it said.

The summit, hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Staffan de Mistura, the UN special Syria envoy, was also present at the summit.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.