It is senseless to press Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to quit office, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.

"This scheme does not work from the beginning. It is incapable because he will not go," Lavrov told local media.

The top Russian diplomat said at least half of the Syrians voted for Assad during the latest elections, seeing him as a guarantor of their future and security. Assad's future must be decided by the Syrians themselves, he added.

The minister also said that Russia would continue to execute contracts signed long ago with Damascus on arms supply.

"We violate nothing and will go on fulfilling our contract obligations, which does not exceed the UN Security Council restrictions," he said.

Also on Thursday, Lavrov talked to UN-Arab League joint special envoy for Syria Kofi Annan on the phone. According to the foreign ministry's website, the two discussed ways of international cooperation for an early political, diplomatic settlement of the Syria crisis.

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