ROME, November 23. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov does not agree with the US State Department’s statements claiming that the Iranian presence in Syria undermines the defeat of the Islamic State (IS, terrorist organization, outlawed in Russia).

"The US justify their presence in Syria by the need to fight ISIL (former name of the IS - TASS), and they say that it is impossible to defeat ISIL as long as Bashar al-Assad and Iran are there. It is a very weird logic, I would say, and I hope you don’t share it," Lavrov addressed the audience. "And I hope everybody is committed to the principle of the Syrian people themselves deciding the fate of their country through elections."

Earlier, Last week, US State Department Special Envoy for Syria James Jeffrey stated that the US presence in Syria is aimed at defeating the Islamic State and forcing the departure of Iranian forces from the country.