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Russia backs UN Secretary General’s impartial approach to conflict resolution - Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister and UN Secretary General discussed Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, Yemen, and the Cyprus crisis

MOSCOW, May 13. /TASS/. Moscow fully supports UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’ impartial, equidistant approach to the parties to the conflicts, which are addressed by the United Nations, and stays ready to assist in this area, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a joint press conference with the UN chief on Wednesday.

"We do share the Secretary General’s attitude towards finding political and diplomatic solutions to crises, including through mediation efforts," the foreign minister said.

"We are also impressed that the Secretary-General is focused to overcome disagreements through his equidistant and impartial approach to the conflicting parties and through taking the entire range of member states’ stances into account. We will do our utmost to support Antonio Guterres in this. And we are grateful to the Secretary General for his willingness to accept our contribution to his efforts," Lavrov said.

The minister added that they discussed Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, Yemen, and the Cyprus crisis.

"We were unanimous that it is in our common interest to ensure the UN bodies’ effectiveness and impartiality. The Secretary General agreed that it was important for the organization’s leadership, and especially its Secretariat, to take balanced approaches and act solely in the spirit of decisions that member states make on a collegial basis," Lavrov added.

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