19 June 2017•Update: 20 June 2017
By Diyar Guldogan
ANKARA
All countries should respect Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.
"It is necessary to fully respect sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, as stipulated in the UN Security Council resolution 2254 and other UN documents.
"Therefore, any actions on the ground, and there are many participants, including those who carry out military operations, must be coordinated with Damascus," Lavrov was quoted as saying by Russia's news agency TASS.
Lavrov's remarks came after an American Navy fighter jet shot down on Sunday a Syrian regime SU-22 fighter jet shortly after it attacked U.S. partner forces.
Speaking to reporters after the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) foreign ministers meeting in Beijing, Lavrov said: "We call on the United States and all others who have their forces or their advisers on the ground [in Syria] to ensure coordination in our work."
Lavrov said de-escalation zones were one of the "possible" joint options.
"I invite everyone to avoid unilateral actions, respect the sovereignty of Syria and get involved in our common work, which is agreed with the Syrian Arab Republic's government," he added.
He said Russia, Turkey and Iran promoted the Astana process to find a solution to the Syrian conflict.
A cease-fire in Syria brokered by Turkey and Russia led to the Astana talks, which are being held in parallel to UN talks in Geneva, to find a political solution to the six-year conflict.
Lavrov added the fifth round of Syria peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana would be held on July 10 and UN's special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, would attend the meeting, according to TASS.
Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry, however, said in a statement on Monday the Astana talks would be held on July 4-5. The ministry said the guarantor countries Russia, Turkey and Iran had agreed on the date.
