LONDON: The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday that his country will not allow Syria to be divided according to sectarian and ethnic lines.

Speaking at a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif following their talks in Moscow on Saturday, Lavrov said that Russia will stand against attempts to destroy the Astana process that seeks to find a solution to the crisis in Syria.

The Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also commented by saying that Iran rejects the use of chemical weapons in Syria regardless of which party uses them. 

“The Astana process has succeeded in reducing an escalation in several areas in Syria,” said Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Russia, Iran and Turkey are the guarantor states in the so-called "Astana process" aimed at ending the violence in Syria.
The three also agreed to intensify efforts to provide humanitarian aid in Syria.
"We will ensure that this aid is provided in the most effective way. We will be cooperating with the government, the opposition and of course with our counterparts at the United Nations, the International Red Cross, the Syrian Red Crescent and other international organizations," Lavrov said.