MOSCOW, November 19, 20:46 /ITAR-TASS/. A further stage of the destruction of chemical weapons in Syria will require more coordinated actions of the participants in this process, the Russian foreign ministry said on Tuesday after a meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and a Syrian governmental delegation.
“The sides discussed in detail the situation in and around Syria in the context of efforts aimed at reaching a peace solution to the internal armed conflict in that country,” the ministry said. “The Syrian delegation was informed about Russia’s political and diplomatic efforts on the international and regional arenas within the framework of the preparations for an international peace conference, Geneva-2, which is tasked to launch a wide-scale intra-Syrian dialogue in a bid to find a political solution to the crisis on the basis of the Geneva communique of June 30, 2012.”
The Russian foreign minister expressed profound concern over the difficult humanitarian situation in Syria and urged to “intensify and expand Damascus’ cooperation with international humanitarian agencies and non-government organizations on a non-politicized basis in the interests of relieving suffering of the civil population.” He vowed that Russia would continue its humanitarian assistance to Syria and Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries.
“Particular attention was given to the progress in the implementation of resolutions on placing Syria’s chemical weapons under international control in line with the United Nations Security Council resolution number 2118,” the ministry said. “The Russian side expressed satisfaction over the current level of cooperation between Damascus and the mission of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the United Nations. It was stressed that the second stage of chemical de-militarization, which provides for taking chemical weapons precursors outside Syria for destruction, will require more coordinated efforts of all participants in this process.”
The Syrian delegation once again confirmed Damascus’ readiness to sent a governmental delegation to the Geneva-2 conference without any preliminary conditions and its commitment to carry out constructive work within this forum.