"If you look at the conflicts we have today, look at Syria, I mean nobody is winning that war, everybody is losing. It is a tragedy. So, there are many contradictions. And I have a strong belief that if countries come together and understand that the risks for everybody are today much bigger than what they might try to gain with this or that advantage, I hope that peace in the end would prevail," Guterres said.
Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups, including Daesh, which is outlawed in many countries, including Russia.
Guterres, who was prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002, is one of the nominees for the position of the next UN secretary-general along with Irina Bokova, head of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Helen Clark, former prime minister of New Zealand and others.