Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines of UN General Assembly in New York Tuesday to discuss the destruction of Syria's chemical weapon under international supervision.
Both Lavrov and his counterpart said that the meeting was "very constructive," RIA Novosti reported.
"The talks were productive, we have a common understanding of what should be done next, and that it should be done on the basis of the framework agreement reached in Geneva," Lavrov said.
Following the meeting, Lavrov stressed that the measures to remove chemical weapons from Syria would apply to both parties involved in the Syrian conflict.
" There are some serious concerns that the Syrian opposition may possess components of chemical weapons," Interfax reported Lavrov as saying during a press meeting. " All chemical weapons must be destroyed in Syria including hazardous materials in possession of the opposition."
It was expected Lavrov and Kerry would discuss the logistics of how to destroy the chemicals weapons and what actions should be taken if Syria fails to fully comply with the agreed plan.
The U.S. side has been insisting on including the possibility of the use of force under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, a measure Russia continues to oppose.
"We expect that we will be able to agree on a UN Security Council resolution without crossing the borders outlined in Geneva, and [the resolution] will be passed shortly after members of the [Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons] vote for the text of their decision," Lavrov said.
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