Russia reiterated that Turkey has asked for its help in achieving rapprochement with Syria and that preparations are underway for a meeting of the foreign ministers of the two countries in the future. It stressed that the situation in the Idleb governorate is one of the biggest problems and that it is necessary to implement agreements on eradicating terrorist organizations, including Jabhat al-Nusra, from there. Russia explained that Washington seeks to use the Kurds to build a statelet in Syria to annoy the rest of the parties.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a press conference on the outcome of Russian diplomacy in 2022, “The unilateral coercive economic measures imposed by the United States and its Western allies on Syria have caused the suffering of its people,” stressing that they are unacceptable and must be lifted. He stressed the importance of rebuilding the infrastructure and reviving the economy in Syria and the need to implement Security Council resolutions in this regard. He pointed out that despite the support of the United States for these resolutions, after two years, we do not see much progress in this area, which the United Nations must solve more effectively.
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Lavrov explained that the West does not want Syrian refugees to return to their cities and villages, in order to serve its political agendas, and this is completely rejected. He urged that these issues should be dealt with based on facts, not geopolitical illusions. He stressed that Turkey has asked for Russia’s help in achieving rapprochement with Syria and that preparations are underway for the meeting of the foreign ministers of Syria and Turkey in the future. He added: “The situation in Idleb governorate is one of the biggest problems, and it is necessary to implement agreements on eradicating terrorist organizations, including Jabhat al-Nusra.”
In turn, the channel “Russia Today” website quoted Lavrov as saying: “The United States is convinced of the need to deal with the legitimate authorities in countries such as Syria, pointing out that Washington is in contact behind closed doors with Damascus.”
On Wednesday, a high-ranking security official in the Turkish administration confirmed his country’s readiness to put all issues on the dialogue table with Damascus, including the withdrawal of his country’s forces in whole or in part from Syria. The official quoted the BBC Türkçe as saying that the military operations (of the Turkish administration) that began in Syria were in coordination with Russia, and the observation points in Idleb came in accordance with the agreements reached by Ankara with Moscow and Tehran.
“There are no red lines and preconditions on the table today,” the official explained, noting that any topic can be negotiated, including the total or partial withdrawal of the Turkish occupation forces from Syria.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
