The Secretary-General met today with H.E. Mr. Sergey V. Lavrov, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. The Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister discussed the latest developments in Syria, including the campaign against ISIL and other terrorist groups, agreeing that any air strikes should be carried out with strict observance of international humanitarian and international human rights law.

The Secretary-General reiterated his previous statements that all feasible precautions must be taken to avoid civilian casualties. It was noted by the UN side that terrorist groups targeted by the military campaign should be exclusively those specified in the relevant UN Security Council Resolution and that the use of indiscriminate munitions, in particular barrel bombs, should immediately cease.

The Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister agreed on the need for a full and comprehensive political solution to the conflict in Syria.

The Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister also discussed the upcoming meeting on Ukraine of the leaders from the Normandy Format countries to be held in Paris on 2 October, with the Secretary-General expressing his hope for further progress on key security, political and humanitarian issues as per the Minsk Agreements.

The Secretary-General and Foreign Minister Lavrov also discussed preparations for the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference to be held in Paris in December 2015.