Lavrov would not refuse to meet Cavusoglu

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at the meeting with Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides that the attack on Russia’s Su-24 aircraft could be an attempt to disrupt the Syrian political settlement process.

"It’s difficult to get rid of the impression that somebody wanted to disrupt the political process that was launched in Vienna within the Syrian Support Group and to help the Islamists prevail both in Syria and the region," he said.

"It is clear that the relations between Russia and Turkey cannot develop in this situation on the basis of the ‘business as usual’ principle. We regard this step by Turkey as contravening the task of combating terrorism," the minister stated.

Lavrov said that he would not refuse to meet his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Belgrade later this week, TASS reports.