Lavrov says Moscow wants Washington's ideas on no-flight zones in Syria
The elimination of terrorist groups is the top-priority task in Syria, the Russian top diplomat reiterated
PARIS, July 6. /TASS/. Russia has asked the US to provide ideas on no-flight zones in Syria but it has not received any answer so far, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.
"As far as I can see, what the US Secretary of State said yesterday [July 5] was a pre-readied speech," he said.
"They didn't warn us that it might be devoted to a reaction to our considerations timed for the meeting between presidents [Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump] in Hamburg."
"We've issued a query but haven't received a reply so far," Lavrov said.
"The question is why kind of no-flight zones are presupposed because they haven't been mentioned in the past."
Top priority
The elimination of the Islamic State (IS) and Jabhat Al-Nusra terror groups outlawed in Russia is the top-priority task in Syria, Sergey Lavrov reiterated.
"We exchanged views on Syria, we had a long and detailed conversation. The top-priority task is the elimination of the ISIL (former name of the Islamic State), Jabhat al-Nusra and other terror groups designated as such in the UN Security Council decisions," Lavrov noted.