Lavrov Says Syria Plane Carried Legal Radar Equipment

The Syrian plane intercepted by Turkey this week on a flight from Moscow was carrying a legal cargo of radar equipment, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.

"This cargo is electrical technical equipment for radar stations, this is dual-purpose equipment but is not forbidden by any international conventions," Lavrov said in the Russian government's first public remarks about the nature of the cargo.

"The plane contained cargo that a legal Russian supplier delivered legally to a legal client," Lavrov said in televised remarks, speaking after a meeting of the Russian security council chaired by President Vladimir Putin.

"There were no weapons on board of this plane, nor could there have been."

The Kremlin said the council meeting discussed the situation in Syria, among other issues.