Sooner Syria crisis ends better: Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has underlined the necessity of finding a swift political solution to the deadly conflict gripping Syria, particularly the divided city of Aleppo.

Speaking at the start of an official visit to Greece on Wednesday, Lavrov expressed hope that Moscow’s partners would draw the necessary conclusions aimed at “honest cooperation... for a political process involving both the government and opposition forces” in Syria.

“We must come to an agreement, the sooner the better," he added.

The top Russian diplomat further warned that support for extremists fighting to topple the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is hindering attempts to settle the crisis.

"Unfortunately... there is sabotage carried out against efforts for a political solution, [and] against the UN Security Council resolution, because some support the extremists who seek to oust” the Damascus government, Lavrov said

Additionally, Lavrov accused Washington of not doing enough to implement the motion.

At the time of adopting the resolution, US Secretary of State John Kerry urged severing links with terrorists, but "almost a year has passed and we await these words to be carried out," he said.

The Russian foreign minister also accused the United States of repeatedly "withdrawing" from peace efforts in Syria's battered Aleppo.

"For a few months now we are trying to solve the problems in the city of Aleppo. There were specific Russian-American agreements, but as soon as the agreements were adopted, the United States withdrew from them," he said.

In another development on Wednesday, the head of the Turkish armed forces held talks with his Russian counterpart in Moscow on the situation in Aleppo and the fight against Daesh.

According to a statement released by the Turkish military, the negotiations between Turkish General Hulusi Akar and Russian General Valery Gerasimov were held “in a constructive atmosphere."

"The subjects taken up in the talks were a settlement to the clashes in Syria and normalization of the situation in Aleppo as well as continuing to develop coordination between the two countries with the aim of... ending the threat from Daesh,” the statement said.

SS