Russia: joint effort needed to help Syria

Russia is urging the international community to take efforts to stop violence in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday after talks with his German counterpart Guido Westerwelle.

After that, the minister stressed, it is important to persuade all participants in the Syrian conflict to start talks.

Lavrov dismissed the rumours about Russia’s intention to give the Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad political asylum. The Russian Foreign Minister said that the West does not understand Russia’s position on the Syrian issue.

Lavrov warned that if the West clings to its policy towards Syria this could result in a large-scale war.