Russia's FM calls to respect Syria's sovereignty in war against Islamic State

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on US Secretary of State John Kerry to respect Syria’s sovereignty in the fight against the Islamic State in Syria.

The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Sunday saying that Lavrov reminded Kerry of “the importance of coordinated action… by the international community aimed at countering the threat” coming from the Islamic State.

Lavrov’s remarks came during a telephone call with his American counterpart.

According to the statement, Lavrov discussed with Kerry international steps to fight the Islamic State, stressing the need to coordinate these steps without double standards and to respect international relations and international conventions during the implementation of any plan, “which includes the use of force”, while the US is rallying support to form an international coalition to combat the radical organisation that is currently in control of large areas of Iraq and Syria.