To turn their attention to the terrorist groups

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Russia has always called for adopting that approach, adding that Russia considers the main factor in this regard is speeding up dialogue with the participation of the Arab League between the Syrian authorities and the opposition to serve the interests of all Syrians.

The statement said that Arab observers mission started to have an effect on stabilizing the situation.

The Russian Foreign Ministry's statement pointed out that the Arab League Committee's statement on Syria issued on January 8th shows a high evaluation of the observers' efforts.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called on the Arab monitors in Syria to turn their attention to the destructive acts of the armed terrorist groups, not only focusing on how the Syrian authorities carry out their commitments.

"The opposition should abandon those groups in favor of conducting a national broad dialogue in accordance with the Arab League initiative," Lavrov said during a phone call with Nabil al-Arabi, the Arab League Secretary General.

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated in a statement that Lavrov and al-Arabi discussed the situation in Syria in order to guarantee stability in the country.

It added that the Russian side underlined its support to the efforts of the Arab monitors, adding that Lavrov stressed the necessity of an immediate halt to any violence in Syria whatsoever its source was.

The statement mentioned that the talks also dealt with the latest developments in the Middle East.