MOSCOW. Jan 17 (Interfax) - Russia and Syria have reaffirmed their adherence to the coordinated timeframe of Syrian chemical weapons' exportation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"We have agreed today - and we confirm this once again - to observe the approved approximate deadlines of the accomplishment of this task, naturally, with appropriate security measures and resolution of all logistical problems," Lavrov told a press conference after Moscow negotiations with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Mualem.
The Russian minister said the transport of chemical arms out of Syria had been proceeding normally. "There have been attempts to find an excuse for impeding the exportation of chemical weapons from Syria but this operation is generally successful," Lavrov said.
In turn, al-Mualem said that the Syrian authorities "had been daily coordinating the [chemical disarmament] operation with the Russian side." "We will continue to do that in the future," he assured reporters.