Russia to keep sending arms for Syria's fight against IS: FM

Russia will continue to send military equipment to Syria to help it with the fight against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.

"We will continue to deliver this equipment to the Syrian state in order to ensure its defense capabilities to confront the terrorist threat," Lavrov said at a press conference.

He added that Russian soldiers and military experts are in Syria to service the military equipment and teach Syrian servicemen to use it.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed to Lavrov concerns about reports of alleged Russia's military build-up in Syria, which he said could lead to "an escalation of conflict" in the war-torn country.

Dismissing the comments, the top Russian diplomat insisted that the resolution of the crisis should include all forces in the region capable of resisting the IS, including the Syrian army.

However, Western countries and their allies insist on the resignation of the country's president, Bashar al-Assad.

Lavrov clarified that what Russia supported in Syria was not Assad's regime but Damascus' struggle against the IS.

"We support the struggle of the Syrian state against the so-called Islamic State, which does not present any Islam and is not a state for that matter," he said.

Lavrov said Moscow has always defended collective efforts based on international law, adding that he considered the Syrian army the most efficient and powerful ground force to fight the IS.

"We have been saying this from the very beginning of operations by the coalition led by our American colleagues, and we are still, better late than never, inviting its members to start cooperating with the Syrian government and the Syrian army," Lavrov said. Endi