Immediate actions to shield the country from terrorists’ aggression: Minister Lavrov.

MOSCOW  – Urgent measures need to be taken to defend Syria from terrorist aggression, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday in his address to participants of a Syrian reconciliation meeting in Moscow:

“We are convinced that the way the situation in and around Syria unfolds requires immediate measures to ensure the country’s protection against the aggression of terrorists and their accomplices and to resto its integrity.” Minister Lavrov said according to the Russian Sputnik. News.

Moscow is not seeking to become a sole mediator in Syrian reconciliation and welcomes any constructive efforts aimed at resolving the situation in the war-torn country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday.

“The Russian side is not seeking to monopolize efforts in support of Syrian reconciliation,” Lavrov said.

“We sincerely welcome any constructive efforts by international and regional partners in the interests of Syria and the Syrian people, based on the Geneva communique and, of course, without a hidden geopolitical agenda or double standards.”

On Thursday, a Syrian opposition source said that the participants of intra-Syrian consultations in Moscow are expected to issue a nine-point joint statement on Friday.

The negotiating parties first met in Moscow in the end of January to discuss a political framework for settling the Syrian crisis. The warring sides worked out the so-called Moscow Principles outlining a political platform for national reconciliation.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011 following an anti-government uprising. The war has claimed over 220,000 lives, and displaced almost four millions, according to UN estimates.

Several extremist groups, including the Islamic State and the Nusra Front operate in Syria.

M. Wassouf