MOSCOW - Russia is expected to urge Saudi Arabia to allow its regional rival Iran to join moves to end the conflict in Syria in a rare high-level meeting on Wednesday between the world's top two oil producers, diplomatic sources said.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is hoping to raise Moscow's profile in a region where its influence is at risk after blocking three UN resolutions meant to put pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad to end the bloodshed.
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console.log("catid body is "+catID);if(catID==120){document.getElementsByClassName("divConnatix")[0].style.display ="none";var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://player.anyclip.com/anyclip-widget/lre-widget/prod/v1/src/lre.js'; script.setAttribute('pubname','jpostcom'); script.setAttribute('widgetname','0011r00001lcD1i_12258'); document.getElementsByClassName('divAnyClip')[0].appendChild(script);}else if(catID!=69 && catID!=2){ document.getElementsByClassName("divConnatix")[0].style.display ="none"; var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://static.vidazoo.com/basev/vwpt.js'; script.setAttribute('data-widget-id','60fd6becf6393400049e6535'); document.getElementsByClassName('divVidazoo')[0].appendChild(script); }The Syrian uprising, which has cost 38,000 lives in 20 months, has further strained traditionally uneasy ties between Russia and Saudi Arabia, a key ally of the United States.
The trip to Riyadh is Lavrov's second Middle East visit in less than two weeks. Last week in Cairo he embraced an Egyptian-backed drive to bring together four regional powers to seek a solution to the Syrian crisis.
