"We can now say that a chance has been seen that the Syrian crisis will move on to a political solution," Lavrov said during the opening ceremony of the Moscow International Model of the UN.
Several rounds of intra-Syrian talks between members of the government and opposition, mediated by Russia, were held in Moscow since January. The Syrian UN envoy described the agreed 10-point plan as a breakthrough and said the next meeting could take place in New York in May.
Lavrov said that much was done thanks to the fact that Russia and China were able to block unreasonable solutions to the crisis in the UN Security Council.
"And thanks to the Russian-Chinese veto, we were able to keep Syria from turning into a Libya where the government fell," Lavrov said.
Russia and China both hold veto power as permanent UN Security Council members – as do France, Britain and the United States. In 2013, Moscow and Beijing used this right to block a US-drafted UN resolution that cleared the way for airstrikes on Syria.
Back in March 2011, Russia did not use its veto power in the UN Security Council to block the intervention in Libya. A UN resolution imposing a no-fly zone over the country was followed by a NATO invasion later that month under the pretext of protecting civilians.
