Russia would not force its nationals to evacuate Syria, a high-ranking Russian diplomat said Tuesday.

"We issue advice for all countries based on information we receive. But implementation of these recommendations is not our duty," head of the Foreign Ministry's Middle East and Northern Africa Department Sergei Vershinin told reporters.

Vershinin said about 755 Russian citizens had left Syria in recent months.

He said any Russian citizen had the right to travel to any country at their own risk.

As for the Russian diplomatic staff in Syria, Vershinin said the Foreign Ministry did not make additional decisions.

"Optimization has been underway all the time, depending on what's going on (in Syria)," the Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.

The diplomat also said the Foreign Ministry hoped the G20 summit scheduled for St. Petersburg later this week would not be a platform for shifting the search for a solution to the Syria crisis to a military track.

"A military response will only deteriorate the situation instead of restoring political development," he said.

On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said any attack on Syria would dampen the chances of holding future peace talks in Geneva. Endi

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