Russia says there should be no pretexts for delaying political process in Syria

MOSCOW, June 29. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday urged to make sure that agreements on a political settlement of the Syrian crisis were further observed. Speaking with his Syrian counterpart Walid Muallem at a meeting in Mosco, Lavrov said: "Your visit is a great opportunity to exchange views on the current situation in and around Syria and discuss our bilateral relations". "The most important thing is to make sure that that the agreements reached on a political settlement by consent of all Syrian groups are further observed," he said. "Today when the terrorist threat is hanging over the entire Middle East region and far beyond, there should be no more pretexts for delaying the political process," Lavrov said, adding that Russia would continue to support Syria in fighting terror groups. He stressed that Russia felt "solidarity with the Syrian people fighting against terror groups" and it was "providing all possible assistance to increase [Syria’s] ability to resist the evil" and would "continue doing this". "We are actively working with other countries of the region, European nations and the United States to see our common policy priorities in the Middle East," Lavrov said. Read more