(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) US Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday called his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and warned him against an increased Russian military presence in Syria, the State Department said.
"The Secretary called Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov this morning to discuss Syria, including US concerns about reports suggesting an imminent enhanced Russian military build-up there.
"The Secretary made clear that if such reports were accurate, these actions could further escalate the conflict, lead to greater loss of innocent life, increase refugee flows and risk confrontation with the anti-ISIL Coalition operating in Syria," the statement said.
"The two agreed that discussions on the Syrian conflict would continue in New York later this month," it concluded.
The Syrian conflict broke out in March 2011 and has so far killed more than 250,000 people and injured many more others. The conflict, which entered its fifth year, displaced over 12 million people who are either internally displaced or live as refugees in neighboring countries.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.