MOSCOW, September 23 (RIA Novosti) – Fighting terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria should be comprehensive and double standards should be avoided, Russian deputy foreign ministers Gennady Gatilov and Mikhail Bogdanov stated during their meeting with UN Syrian crisis special envoy Staffan de Mistura, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported Tuesday in a statement.
"Russian representatives emphasized that an efficient fight against terrorism should be led comprehensively and without 'double standards,'" the ministry's statement reads.
In the course of the meeting de Mistura outlined his plans to intensify contacts with Syrian opposition representatives and authorities of key states, including Russia, with a view toward a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
"During the detailed conversation the parties emphasized that there are no alternatives to the diplomatic settlement of the crisis in Syria through a dialogue between the Syrian authorities and the opposition in conformity with the June 30, 2012, Geneva Communique," the ministry said.
The parties also reviewed the problem of increasing terrorist groups' activity in Iraq and Syria, which has jeopardized the region's security and stability.
The civil war in Syria that started in summer 2011 has already claimed almost 200,000 lives, according to the United Nations. Parties to the conflict are Syrian government forces and the opposition fighters, though the conflict has already become highly internationalized.
