ROME, December 1. /TASS/. Russia and the United States have managed to reach bigger understanding on anti-terror efforts in Syria thanks to regular contacts between the military, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday at the Mediterranean Dialogues international conference.
He admitted that in the past three years the United States had been fighting against Islamic State (a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia), however, "not as intensively as we would like them to do." But, in his words, "Nusra (also outlawed in Russia) was spared." It looked "they were keeping Nusra just in case when plan B will be required so that it could be used against the regime," he said.
"It is not this way now and I hope that our regular contacts with the American military were useful to promote a common understanding of what is the right counter-terrorist strategy in Syria," Lavrov stressed.
"In September 2015, we managed to compile a common document which basically was not about de-conflicting but it was about coordination, including coordination of the efforts of the US and Russia against terrorist targets. In other words, no one strikes until the other side agrees that this is a legitimate and the right target," he noted, adding that the administration of the US former President Barack Obama had demonstrated its inability to implement its commitments.