Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed that the foreign attempts of raising doubts regarding the legitimacy of the Syrian government reduce the chances of a peaceful solution to the crisis in Syria.

In a statement on Friday following talks with his Swiss counterpart Didier Burkhalter, Lavrov said "We witness attempts to foil any chance for reaching a peaceful solution in Syria, and we also see attempts by international organizations to impose illegal solutions with the aim of delegitimizing Syrian government," stressing that these acts will led to nothing good; rather they may help extremist groups rise to power.

Lavrov underlined the need to resolve the crisis in Syria through dialogue and negotiations, warned that the more the dialogue is delayed, the higher the cost will be in terms of Syrians' lives.

He said that it's the calls for not allowing crimes in Syria to go unpunished – which are issued by some dishonest sides in the process – must not be exploited to delay or even prevent negotiations, stressing that the priority at the current stage is ending violence and launching dialogue.

Lavrov reiterated Russia's conviction that the only guaranteed way to end the crisis in Syria is through adhering to the Geneva statement.