Egyptian, Syrian foreign ministers have first meeting in 10 years in New York
Diplomats address Syrian crisis, importance of joint action in solution
CAIRO, Egypt
The Egyptian and Syrian foreign ministers met for the first time in the last 10 years in a meeting Saturday as part of the 76th UN General Assembly in New York.
Sameh Shoukry and Faisal Mekdad discussed ways to solve the crisis in Syria, according to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry stressed the importance of joint action to solve the crisis and respect Syria's territorial integrity.
İt added that the meeting was the first between the foreign ministers since the suspension of Syria's membership in the Arab League on Oct. 2, 2011.
Syria has been mired in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.
According to the UN Refugee Agency, 6.6 million Syrians have been forced to leave the country in the past decade.
Turkey alone hosts approximately 3.7 million Syrians -- more than any other country in the world.
* Writing by Dilan Pamuk in Ankara
