Updated 10:35 p.m. Moscow time.
NEW YORK, September 26 (RIA Novosti) – The US-led international coalition against Islamic State (IS) militants must establish coordination with Syrian authorities and work together as a team, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.
"We are encouraged by the fact that many other countries have drawn their attention to improving the efficiency of counter-terrorism campaign lately. Of course, we believe that any action on the international scene, and especially the use of force to suppress the threat of terrorism should be carried out in accordance with international law and with the consent of the respective countries in which such operations are conducted. It's an obvious thing," Lavrov told reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York.
The Russian minister stressed the importance for the anti-IS coalition to establish "such cooperation with Syrian authorities."
Lavrov then spoke on the issue of the Syrian crisis, underlying that President Bashar Assad's departure would not resolve it.
"I warn and call not to be tempted to see the easy solutions. [Such as] If Bashar Assad disappears, everything is going to be good. It is necessary to carry out professional work, not thinking about timing, or personal sympathies or antipathies. Someone does not want to start negotiations with the other... it's just the whims. The whims are inappropriate in international politics," Lavrov said.
The dialogue on peaceful settlement in Syria would not be all-inclusive without Iran participation, Lavrov added.
"We cannot make the same mistakes that we made when we called a peaceful conference on the Syrian problem and refused to invite Iran due to ideological reasons. Has it helped to build a serious dialogue? I don't think so," Lavrov commented.
Syria has been torn by civil war for over three years already. The conflict, which claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people, has also turned into one of the gravest humanitarian crises in modern times.
