Tillerson visits Moscow as tensions spike after US strike on Syria base

Source: RT::

April 11, 2017 at 12:18

Washington claimed it is where Syrian jets allegedly carrying chemical weapons munitions took off to launch an assault on a rebel-held town in Idlib Province on April 4. Damascus denied the allegations.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has arrived in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss Syria with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. The visit comes as recent US strikes on a Syrian base were followed by hints of sanctioning Russia for supporting Assad.

While in Moscow, Tillerson is expected to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday, with the Syrian crisis being the key issue on the agenda. This is the former oil executive’s first visit to Russia as Secretary of State.

Посмотреть изображение в Твиттере

First #Tillerson steps in Moscow. pic.twitter.com/iR6AVIsZEJ
— Ilya Petrenko (@ilpetrenko_rt) April 11, 2017

Russia expects a constructive dialogue free of confrontational rhetoric, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday ahead of the meeting. Moscow is willing to discuss all matters of mutual concern raised by Tillerson and is ready “for any course of events,” the ministry noted. It would, however, prefer “to work on de-escalating the international tensions, not heightening them,” it said, adding, “We do hope that the American side wants the same.”

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