Nur-Sultan, July 8 (Prensa Latina) Russia's special envoy to Syria, Aleksander Lavrentiev, said here today that it is necessary to continue the fight against terrorist groups operating in the territory of the Arab nation until their complete annihilation.

 

Speaking to the press after concluding the 16th international meeting on Syria in the Astana format, Lavrentiev warned that the terrorists cannot be considered moderate opposition.

'The fight against terrorist groups must continue until their final and complete destruction. There should be no relaxation in this direction,' he said, according to the TASS news agency.

He pointed out that a ceasefire could limit efforts in the fight against terrorism and emphasized that the fight must continue despite calls by some European countries for a national truce.

Lavrentiev indicated that the truce should be the objective, but 'for the moment it may limit the actions of government forces and international efforts in the fight against terrorist organizations with still quite great potential, the Sputnik news agency reported.

For the Russian envoy to Damascus, prospects are seen for a gradual increase of trust between the Syrian government and the opposition.

'We have had very interesting talks with both the Syrian opposition and the government. We see that there are certain prospects for gradually increasing the level of trust,' he said.

The next negotiations on Syria in the Astana format will be held before the end of the year in the Kazakh capital, a joint statement by Russia, Iran and Turkey highlighted, at the conclusion of the 16th International Meeting on Syria in this format.

Representatives of the United Nations, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq attended as observers.

At the meeting, the negotiators examined the situation in the Arab country, international humanitarian assistance, the prospects of reopening the Constitutional Committee for Syria in Geneva.

They also discussed possible measures to build trust between the parts, including the exchange of prisoners, the release of hostages and the search for missing persons.