In a statement carried by the Interfax News Agency on Saturday, the ministry said it is ironic that the West insists on the observance of human rights and at the same time attempts to “flirt” with some terrorist groups and portray some militants as moderate.

It pointed out that Syrian troops are waging an uncompromising fight against extremists and terrorists.

Russia insisted that there is no military solution to the conflict in Syria and that the West must halt its support for the militants operating in the crisis-hit country.

The Syrian conflict must be settled through political and diplomatic means via inter-Syrian negotiations, so that the Syrians will be able to decide about the future of their country, the statement emphasized.

The Russian Foreign Ministry further hailed the ongoing practice of local truces in Syria.

In February, the Syrian government and the United Nations reached a deal to help women, children and the elderly trapped by fighting to leave war-ravaged areas in the western city of Homs.

The deal also allows the entrance of humanitarian assistance for civilians who choose to stay, while the two sides agreed on a pause in fighting as the deal is being implemented.

Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since March 2011. Some sources say more than 130,000 people have been killed and millions displaced due to the violence fueled by Western-backed militants.

According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies -- Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey -- support the militants operating inside Syria.

According to statistics, eighty percent of the foreign militants fighting against the Syrian government are Arabs and Europeans, mostly from France and Britain.

NTJ/HH