UN special envoy for Syria may visit Moscow middle July

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura may visit Moscow in mid-July and provide his assessment of the situation in the Middle Eastern country, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov has said.

Earlier, a diplomatic source told RIA Novosti that Gatilov is planning to discuss with de Mistura the prospects of Syrian crisis settlement on July 9.

“We maintain contacts with [Staffan] de Mistura and will hold a meeting with him,” Gatilov told journalists.

“I do not rule out that he will come to Moscow some time in the middle of July, at least he expressed desire to do so,” Gatilov said.

Syria has been mired in a civil war since 2011. The country's government is fighting a number of opposition forces as well as radical Islamist militant organizations, including Daesh. According to UN estimates, the conflict in Syria has claimed some 220,000 lives.