Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday that Russia opposes the idea of setting up a no-fly zone over Syria, which, it believes, would be a violation of Syria's sovereignty.

The setup of a no-fly zone over Syria would violate the UN Charter, Lavrov said in an interview with Sky News Arabia.

"If these zones are going to cover the territory of the Syrian state, this will constitute a violation of its sovereignty and of the U.N. Charter," Lavrov said, adding that it was not the first time he heard about the idea of security zones and no-fly zones.

Moscow believes the imposition of the no-fly zone "on the pretext of preventing humanitarian crisis" in Syria is unacceptable, said the senior diplomat.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement to welcome the appointment of the new UN-Arab League special envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi to succeed Kofi Annan.

A former foreign minister of Algeria and UN diplomat, Brahimi has "extensive peacekeeping experience," said the ministry, adding that Moscow is ready to work closely with the news envoy to solve the 17-month crisis in Syria.

Russia hopes the veteran diplomat will continue the buildup of a "roadmap" toward a peaceful settlement, which is based on Annan's peace plan, Geneva agreements reached by the Action Group of Syria and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, said the statement.

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