A Russian delegation including top military, political and economic figures is expected in Damascus early next week for talks with President Bashar Assad and a number of Syrian officials, a high-ranking Russian diplomat told Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday. The diplomat, who refused to be identified, said this is the first time several officials take a single trip together to Damascus to hold comprehensive talks on the Syrian war. Earlier, western diplomatic sources said that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Syria next week. The sources confirmed in a statement to the German news agency that "Lavrovs visit will focus on combating terrorism and discussing with the Syrian leadership the results of the work of the Constitutional Committee, as well as the area east of the Euphrates." The Russian foreign minister has only visited Syria once since the war erupted in 2011. His trip was in February 2012. Separately, the Russian defense ministry revealed details of a meeting held two days ago between Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and UN special representative for Syria Geir Pedersen. At the start of the talks, Shoigu said Western sanctions have had a bad impact on the political settlement and the fight against terrorism in Syria, the ministry said. “There have been significant changes in Syria, which relate to almost all areas of settlement of the political process, the humanitarian situation, post-conflict reconstruction, and the fight against terrorism. Illegitimate western sanctions against Syria have a negative impact on these processes,” the statement quoted Shoigu as saying. He said it was difficult to understand the logic of western countries that, on the one hand, claim concern for the Syrian people, and on the other, impose sanctions on them, prohibit the supply of medicines and prevent the return of refugees. “We need to come to the point where we can give the Syrian people freedom to develop by lifting sanctions and stop stealing oil,” he noted.