MOSCOW, July 12. /TASS/. Russian presidential special envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin met on Friday with Syrian President Bashar Assad to discuss the situation in Syria’s Idlib and the establishment of the Constitutional Committee, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"The meeting focused on efforts towards the soonest completion of the formation of the Constitutional Committee and its launch as a major step in encouraging the political process carried out by the Syrians under the United Nations mediation, as envisaged in the resolutions of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi and United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254," the foreign ministry said.

"Apart from that, the sides discussed in detail the situation on the ground with a focus on the importance of stabilizing the situation in Idlib and continuing the fight against terrorists recognized as such by the United Nations Security Council," the ministry noted. "They also exchanged views on matters of the post-conflict restoration in Syria and assistance to Syrian refugees who are returning to their homes. The sides stressed the necessity to ensure security in the Middle East on the basis of respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states in the region," the foreign ministry concluded.