"We know about the developing EU schemes for countering the [human trafficking] threat… We believe that… the schemes that are being developed should be fully consistent with international law and will be subject to consideration by the UN Security Council, should these schemes involve the application of coercive acts," Lavrov said after a meeting with his Luxembourgian counterpart, Jean Asselborn.
The European Union has been struggling to deal with an influx of undocumented migrants, as unprecedented numbers of people from the Middle East and Northern Africa have tried to cross the Mediterranean Sea since the start of 2015.
In June, EU foreign ministers agreed to launch a naval operation to counter migrant trafficking from North Africa and the Middle East across the Mediterranean to Europe.
An EU source told journalists that the plan includes the launching of five warships, two submarines, three aircraft, two drones and three helicopters during the first stage of the operation.
The EU operation was agreed on without a UN Security Council resolution.
