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Coronavirus pandemic

Lavrov discusses Syrian, Libyan settlement, anti-pandemic efforts with UN chief

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Russian top diplomat and the UN secretary general agreed that politicization of the issue of humanitarian assistance to Syria is inadmissible

MOSCOW, June 1. /TASS/. Issues of settling conflicts in Syria and Libya and combating the novel coronavirus infection were in focus of a telephone conversation between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

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"Key attention was paid to the problems of the Syrian and Libyan settlement with a focus on certain aspects of the United Nations’ activities on these tracks, as well as to issues of the work of the World Health Organization to respond to the consequences of the novel coronavirus pandemic," it said.

The sides exchanged views on the situation in Syria’s Idlib de-escalation zone and discussed the implementation of agreements that had been reached by the Russian and Turkish leaders on March 5 in Moscow. Apart from that, Lavrov and Guterres noted the threat of increased terrorist activities in Syria amid the coronavirus pandemic and stressed the necessity "to ensure lasting security and stability in the country on the basis of its sovereignty and territorial integrity," the ministry said.

According to the ministry, the Russian top diplomat and the UN secretary general agreed that politicization of the issue of humanitarian assistance to Syria is inadmissible. "Of special significance in this context is the implementation of the United Nations secretary general’s call for easing or lifting unilateral sanctions that hamper supplies of vital medicines and medical equipment that may cause shortages of articles of daily necessity and worsen the socio-economic situation in the country," it said, adding that the sides stressed that there is no alternative to political settlement in Syria on the basis of dialogue between Syrians.

"Lavrov reiterated Russia’s support to the work of the United Nations and its specialized institutions geared to coordinate member nations’ efforts to combat the pandemic and its socio-economic ramifications. The sides hashed over ways of boosting global cooperation in this sphere, expanding multilateral collaboration within this global organization," the ministry stressed.

The ministry added that Russia hopes for the soonest settlement of the issue of the UN mission to Libya amid the crisis in that country.

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