MOSCOW, October 9. /TASS/. Absence of concord and coordination with Damascus affects effectiveness of the air strikes on positions of the Islamic State, a spokesman for Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
“We again draw attention to the fact that fight against terrorism, this modern evil, could become effective only when all sides coordinate their efforts on the basis of accepted international rules,” Alexander Lukashevich said. “If operations are subordinate to mercenary interests such as changes of regimes, the fight is likely to bring about further sufferings for civilians and this is the situation we are observing."
The decision on a buffer zone on the border with Syria may only be made by the United Nations Security Council, Lukashevich stressed. “It is up to the UN Security Council to make decisions on these (buffer) zones,” Lukashevich said. “You remember the way it was in Iraq, Libya, and what it resulted in.”
The diplomat said decisions made by separate states or coalitions on establishment of buffer zones are illegitimate.