Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday, February 7 that Syria needs peace but that an agreement should be free from foreign interference, Syrian state-run television reported.

“We reaffirmed to the Syrian president our readiness to help in stabilizing the situation ... and we intend to continue this in coordination with the Syrian leadership,” the report quoted Lavrov as saying.

The Russian envoy described his talks with President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus as “very useful,” M&C reported quoting DPA.