Asia

Asia

Lavrov: US grossly violated international law

14 April 2017 12:55 (UTC +04:00)

The United States grossly violated the principles of international law and the UN Charter by conducting missile strikes on Syria, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Moscow, Damascus and Tehran viewed the US missile strikes on Syria as an act of aggression, Lavrov told a joint press conference with his Iranian and Syrian counterparts in Moscow April 14, APA’s Moscow correspondent reported.

"We insist on a thorough and unbiased investigation of the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian town of Khan Shaykhun on April 4," Lavrov said, adding that the probe should be organized under the control of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

Lavrov said the US missile strikes last week on an airfield in Syria was aimed to undermine the peace process in the country and to change the regime, but the attempt failed. He stressed the US must respect sovereignty of Syria.

"Such aggressive actions are obviously aimed at undermining the peace process, which was unanimously approved by a resolution of the UN Security Council and stipulates that only the people of Syria will be determining the future of their country," Lavrov said.

"Such action clearly targeted a possibility of deviating from this basic concept and find more excuses for changing the regime," the top Russian diplomat said. "Attempts of this kind will never be a success. It will never happen."

According to the Russian foreign minister, Moscow would be insisting on the complete implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 2254 with no exceptions to anyone, including an all-embracing respect regarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria.

"It is obvious for everyone, that the violation of the international law is inadmissible," Lavrov added.