Fight against terrorism in Syria should run parallel with political reforms - Lavrov

MOSCOW, September 29. /TASS/. The fight against terrorism in Syria should run in parallel with political reforms, though it should not be imposed from outside the country but rather come from Syrians themselves, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. In an interview with Russian television channel RT, Lavrov said: "Americans have confirmed that their absolute stance is to maintain the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Syria, Iraq and other countries of the region. We can cooperate on this basis." "In other words, in short, the fight against terrorism should run in parallel with political reforms, but it should not be imposed from outside but come from inside, from Syrians themselves - the government and all oppositions groups - all of them should start a political process in the country and begin discussing their country’s future," said Lavrov. "We will be glad to invite the patriotic Syrian opposition fighting in the country’s territory to join this coordinated battle [against Islamic State militants]," he said. "We are confident that the conflict in Syria can only be resolved through dialogue which is led by Syrians themselves and involves all Syrian groups - the government and all opposition structures." "The main thing is to guarantee equality alongside safe and comfortable living conditions for all citizens of Syria," Lavrov added. Read more