Russian-U.S. military talks "constructive" - high-ranking Russian defense official
MOSCOW. Oct 1 (Interfax) - The Russian Defense Ministry has described as "constructive" a conversation held by video link between the Russian and U.S. military on Thursday.
"On October 1 this year, a video conference took place at the U.S. request between military representatives of the two countries," the official told Interfax on Thursday.
"At the center of attention was the establishing of regular communication between our military experts to prevent a conflict of interest in the Syrian airspace during operations against Islamic State," he said.
"The conversation was constructive and business-like," the official said.
"The parties have agreed to continue the dialogue," he said
Russia's Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov confirmed the fact that the talks between representatives of Russian defense ministry and Pentagon were held on Thursday night.
"The talks in the format of a conference call lasted about one hour and were constructive. The exchange was held at the initiative of the U.S.," Antonov told Interfax.
Whitehouse Press Secretary Josh Earnest earlier said that U.S. and Russian defense officials had a discussion that lasted about an hour on Thursday, focusing on how to prevent any accidental conflicts during operations conducted by the both countries in Syria.
Earnest confirmed that the purpose of the talks was to ensure that the parties would not represent any danger to each other while conducting airstrikes on extremists in Syria.
Earnest added that these were the first talks of this kind and that he expected a series of such contacts ahead.
The parties also discussed the expediency of observing international rules and standards in the sphere of safety and when using channels of communication, Earnest said.
In Earnest's view, such talks are meaningful.