Syrian military personnel are seen in the recently recaptured town of Kafr Houd in the northern countryside of Hama, Syria, June 9, 2019. (Photo: Xinhua)

 
Senior Russian, US and Israeli security officials will meet soon in Jerusalem to discuss the situation in Syria and the Middle East as a whole, Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry Artyom Kozhin said Tuesday.

He said in a statement that Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev, US National Security Advisor John Bolton and Israel's National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabbat will take part in the meeting.

"We take a very responsible approach to the organization and conduct of the upcoming meeting and look forward to a similar attitude from our foreign colleagues and media representatives, bearing in mind that all sorts of speculations about a possible 'deal' or 'some exchanges' can only harm the cause," Kozhin said.

He said that Moscow sees the potential for engaging new work formats that would contribute to moving toward peace and stability in Syria.

Such meetings may also help ensure Syria's sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, as well as the final elimination of international terrorism on Syrian soil, the return of refugees and early socio-economic reconstruction of the country, Kozhin said.

He added that the new work format is not meant to substitute the existing mechanisms aimed to settle the conflict in Syria, primarily the Astana format.

The Astana process was launched by Russia, Turkey and Iran in the Kazakh capital of Astana in January 2017 to bring all warring parties in the Syrian conflict to the table in search of a political solution as a complementary part of the UN-sponsored peace talks in Geneva.

Kozhin did not disclose the time of the meeting, but according to media reports, it is scheduled to take place on June 24-26.