Russian, Syrian and Iranian Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov, Walid Muallem and Mohammad Javad Zarif will discuss efforts to launch the negotiation process on Syria during a trilateral meeting on Friday, Lavrov said opening talks with Iran’s top diplomat.

"We will discuss in detail efforts to further launch the negotiation process at a trilateral meeting with Muallem," the minister said.

Javad Zarif in his turn noted that Moscow and Tehran shared a common stance on combating terrorism and extremism.

"As for our cooperation on regional issues, including the fight against terrorism and extremism, our countries have a common stance," he said. "We hope this stance will remain unchanged in the future."

Zarif also said there had been significant progress in relations between Russia and Iran in all areas.

"Moscow and Tehran have tangible progress in all areas of bilateral relations," he said.