Russia is flatly against outside forces artificially heightening the political crisis in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at the anniversary summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Astana. The minister said that there are "too many armed instigators" in Syria today. The main thing now is not to make it seem that the Syrian security forces and the army always repress peaceful protesters, the diplomat stressed. Lavrov is convinced that the situation in the country is not as simple as it may be portrayed and this is why the international community should not take hasty decisions, while the Syrian opposition, on its part, should start a dialogue with the government.