Moscow seeks coordination in Syria with Washington, denies any violation of UN resolution

Russia is trying to coordinate with the United States in Syria and has denied any violation of UN resolutions in its use of an Iran air base, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

"The main task is to finally establish coordination in resolving the Syrian crisis...We are discussing this through military, intelligence and foreign ministries," Lavrov said Wednesday at a press conference after meeting with his New Zealand counterpart Murray McCully in Moscow.

Lavrov said the talks were focused on specific mechanisms to implement agreements reached during a visit by U.S. State Secretary John Kerry to Moscow last month.

He said Moscow and Washington are discussing with the United Nations the possibility of opening additional humanitarian corridors in the northern city Aleppo and its vicinity controlled by the Syrian army and opposition militants.

The two countries were also examining the prospect of increasing control over cargo crossing the Turkish-Syrian border to prevent supplies from reinforcing the terrorists, Lavrov said.

However, the top Russian diplomat added it would have been easier to reach a settlement in Syria if the United States had kept its promise to separate moderate opposition groups from the terrorists.

Meanwhile, Lavrov denied that Russia had violated any UN Security Council resolution in its use of an Iranian air base for its campaign in Syria.

He said Russian warplanes were used with Iran's consent within the framework of an "anti-terrorist operation on the territory of Syria at the request of the legitimate Syrian government."

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said Russian long-range bombers took off from Hamadan air base in Iran to launch strikes against terrorist targets in Syria. Endi