MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Urgent measures need to be taken to defend Syria from terrorist aggression, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday in his address to participants of a Syrian reconciliation meeting in Moscow:
“We are convinced that the way the situation in and around Syria unfolds requires immediate measures to ensure the country’s protection against the aggression of terrorists and their accomplices and to restore its integrity.”
Moscow Welcomes All Constructive Efforts in Support of Syrian Reconciliation
"The Russian side is not seeking to monopolize efforts in support of Syrian reconciliation," Lavrov said.
"We sincerely welcome any constructive efforts by international and regional partners in the interests of Syria and the Syrian people, based on the Geneva communique and, of course, without a hidden geopolitical agenda or double standards."
On Thursday, a Syrian opposition source said that the participants of intra-Syrian consultations in Moscow are expected to issue a nine-point joint statement on Friday.
The negotiating parties first met in Moscow in the end of January to discuss a political framework for settling the Syrian crisis. The warring sides worked out the so-called Moscow Principles outlining a political platform for national reconciliation.
Several extremist groups, including the Islamic State and the Nusra Front operate in Syria.
The United States is leading the international coalition of more than 60 nations that has been launching airstrikes against ISIL in Syria since September 2014, without prior permission from Damascus.
