"The line of conducting democracy by iron and blood does not work," Lavrov said. This is clear in the case of Iraq and other states, he added.

"No-one knows in the end what will happen in the Middle East," including Syria, he said.

Lavrov recalled the fate of previous attempts to use force by circumventing the UN Security Council, and expressed anxiety that some states were trying to make the "Libyan model a precedent."

Speaking about the future world order, Lavrov said "in future, not all rules which are used in world politics now, will exist in future."

"We can expect that in the next 20 years, the world order will be more complex," he added.