Lausanne Meeting Participants Remain Committed to Preserving Syria's Integrity

Those attending the international ministerial meeting on the resolution of the Syrian crisis in the Swiss city of Lausanne confirmed their desire to see the country maintained, rather than broken up into smaller nations.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — All participants of the international ministerial meeting on the resolution of the Syrian refugee crisis in the Swiss city of Lausanne confirmed their commitment to preserving Syria's integrity, where the Syrians themselves would determine their future, the Russia Foreign Ministry said Sunday.

On Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, US State Secretary John Kerry, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan De Mistura, as well as the foreign ministers of Qatar, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt took part in the multilateral meeting on the Syrian crisis's settlement in Lausanne.

"All participants of the meeting confirmed their commitment to preserve Syria as an integral, independent and secular state, where the Syrian people will determine the country's future through an inclusive political dialogue," the statement reads.

During the meeting, the Russian side said that the separation of moderate opposition from Jabhat Fatah al Sham militants (also known as the Nusra Front, or Jabhat al-Nusra) and other terrorist groups was necessary for the renewal of the ceasefire arrangement.

"In this regard, the joint work of all participants of the meeting with the forces present in Syria will be required. At the same time, it is necessary to understand that operations against Daesh and Jabhat al-Nusra will be continued," the ministry said.

Saturday's multilateral meeting on Syria has brought no results, as the participants have failed to reach a consensus over how to renew the ceasefire regime.