MOSCOW, March 21. /TASS/. General of the Army Valery Gerasimov, the head of Russia’s General Staff, and Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford discussed Syria on the phone and agreed on further contacts, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

"On March 21, Chief of the Russian Armed Forces’ General Staff, Deputy Defense Minister, General of the Army Valery Gerasimov had a phone conversation with Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the United States’ Joint Chiefs of Staff," the defense ministry said.

They "discussed issues concerning the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic along with other pressing issues of mutual interest," it added.

"Gerasimov and Dunford agreed to continue bilateral contacts," the ministry said.

On March 13, Gerasimov said militants were planning to fake a chemical weapons attack against civilians in Syria, which might trigger a massive strike on Damascus by the United States. Gerasimov vowed the Russian Defense Ministry would respond militarily if the Russian servicemen stationed there were threatened by a possible attack. Later in the day, Gerasimov talked with Dunford on the phone. The call was made by the Russian side.