DAMASCUS: The UN's envoy to Syria met Syria’s foreign minister in Damascus on Thursday as part of ongoing efforts to negotiate a solution to the four-year war, state media said.

"Staffan de Mistura presented the latest developments linked to his discussions and meetings in multiple countries" to Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, the official SANA news agency reported. The Swedish-Italian diplomat has been holding meetings over the past two months with key players in the Syrian conflict to try to advance peace prospects.

According to the UN's Geneva office, in July de Mistura has visited China, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, and Iran, which is one of the Syrian regime's main backers.