ANKARA
A political settlement in Syria can be possible only if there is no external interference, the Russian foreign minister has said.
According to Russian Foreign Ministry's official Twitter account (@mfa_russia), after meeting his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif in the Russian capital Moscow Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said: “The settlement in Syria can only be political and diplomatic and negotiated by Syrian parties without any outside interference”.
Lavrov further said that “Russia and Iran share convergent views regarding developments in Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Afghanistan and other hotspots”.
Another tweet said: “We advocate settling the issues in these countries through national dialogue without imposing any ‘formulas’ from abroad”.
Lavrov and Zarif also discussed the recent nuclear deal brokered last month between Iran and the world powers group, namely China, France, Russia, the U.K., the U.S. and Germany.
“We are satisfied with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran’s nuclear program. We hope this plan will come into force in the coming weeks, per the UNSC [UN Security Council] resolution to this effect,” Lavrov tweeted.
“The plan of action is expected to enhance confidence in the region and remove barriers to normal economic and political cooperation,” he added.
Roughly half of Syria’s population has been displaced by the violence, with over four million Syrians now seeking refuge in neighboring countries, especially Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.
The conflict has left more than 220,000 people dead to date, according to U.N. figures.
