Russia ready to work with West, Middle East countries to combat terrorism: FM

Russia stands ready to work together with the West and Middle East countries to find solution to the crisis in Syria and to fight terrorism, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday.

"We work with the countries in the region, the United States and our European partners to help all Syrians unite around the key task of preserving their country," Lavrov said during his talks with Khaleld al-Khoja, head of Syria's opposition, the National Coalition.

Lavrov added that Syrians should also prevent their country from becoming a harbor for terrorists.

If all parties, inside and outside Syria, could focus on the common tasks based on the Geneva Communique, the crisis in that country could be resolved and the fight against terrorism would succeed, said the top Russian diplomat.

According to Lavrov, Moscow and Syrian opposition share interests in preventing the spread of terrorism, so "the most important thing now is to turn these interests into practical, coordinated actions."

"Continuing conflicts, especially the deep crisis in Syria, demand our attention. We are all interested in blocking the road to terrorism," Lavrov said.

In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to establish an international framework to create a coalition fighting regional terrorism. Earlier this week, Lavrov verified that it would not be a "classical military coalition." Enditem