FM Maas says Germany can mediate with Moscow on Syria, Russia ‘needed for dialogue’

Germany has a special intermediary role allowing it to keep open the window for dialogue with Russia on the Syrian crisis, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Tuesday. Speaking at a Berlin news conference alongside Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, Maas said the stalled Syrian peace process would be discussed at the weekend’s Toronto summit of G7 foreign ministers, Reuters reports. “We have to use this moment to get the political process going again,” the minister said of the meeting, where Russia will not be present. “We also need Russia for this dialogue,” he added. Germany’s traditionally closer relationship with Russia could help facilitate this, according to the minister.