Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow wants Iran and Egypt to participate in any future talks on finding a political solution to the ongoing crisis in Syria.

Lavrov made the remark following a Friday meeting between Russia, the United States, Turkey and Saudi Arabia over the Syrian conflict in the Austrian capital Vienna.

"We requested that our future contacts take place in a more representative format, which implies the involvement of a range of countries from the region, including… Iran and Egypt,” he said.

In addition to the Russian foreign minister, US Secretary of State John Kerry, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu attended the meeting.

Lavrov also stressed that a number of relevant organizations, including the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, could take part in future negotiations on Syria.

He reiterated Moscow’s support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saying, "Our partners have some obsession with the figure of the Syrian president, but we reaffirmed our position."

The top diplomats of the four countries agreed to hold another meeting next week in an expanded format with delegates from other countries.

Speaking to reporters after the Friday meeting, Kerry did not rule out participation by Iran in the future talks.

"What we agreed to do today is to consult with all parties and aim to reconvene, hopefully as early as next Friday, with a broader meeting in order to explore whether there is sufficient common ground to advance a meaningful political process,” Kerry said.

Later on Friday, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini backed Russia’s stance on inviting Iran, saying, “All relevant actors, regionally and internationally, should be involved.”

“Our open channel with Iran is something we are using very actively, and I hope Iran can be part of this process,” she added.

Iran has not been invited to previous peace talks on Syria, all of which ended in failure over the demand by the US, Turkey and some Arab states that Assad relinquish power as a pre-condition for peace, which he refuses to consider.

After the top-level meeting, the Saudi foreign minister said divisions remain about the future of the Syrian president.

“There still remain some gaps with regards to the departure of Bashar al-Assad and the timing of such a departure,” Jubeir said, adding, “We will continue such conversations perhaps with a broader range of countries in order to see if we arrive at a consensus on the way forward for Syria.”

The foreign-sponsored conflict in Syria, which flared in March 2011, has claimed the lives of more than 250,000 people and left over one million injured, according to the United Nations.

The Syrian army has recently made a series of new gains in the fight against Takfiri terrorists operating in their country. Reports say large numbers of Daesh terrorists are quitting the ranks of the extremist group amid the advances of government troops backed by Russian airstrikes.

Moscow launched its air raids against terrorist groups in Syria upon a request by Damascus on September 30, shortly after the upper house of the Russian parliament gave President Vladimir Putin the mandate to use the air force in the Arab country.