Lavrov: The terrorist outpost in Idlib must be eliminated

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated that the terrorist outpost in Idlib must be eliminated and that the US forces’ occupation of areas in Syria is unacceptable.

“There is only one terrorist outpost left in Syria in Idlib, and there is no problem in combating terrorism there, especially since our sites and those of the Syrian army are being attacked in the de-escalation zone there, and we will not allow that to continue,” Lavrov said during a press conference on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meetings.

In this context, Lavrov condemned the occupation of the “American forces” of Al-Tanf and Rukban areas in Syria, describing it as “unacceptable.” He also condemned Western countries’ adherence to the mechanism of bringing humanitarian aid into Syria without any agreement with the Syrian state.

Lavrov stressed that his country will close the mechanism for delivering humanitarian aid across the Syrian border in the event that our partners do not implement what was previously agreed upon.

Regarding the nuclear agreement between Iran and the G4+1, Lavrov expressed his optimism about the possibility of achieving positive results regarding the resumption of this agreement. The International Atomic Energy Agency currently has no evidence that Iran is trying to use its nuclear program for military purposes.  Lavrov stressed that Russia supports the resumption of negotiations as soon as possible, noting that Tehran continued to implement its commitments for a year after Washington withdrew from it.

Lavrov made it clear that Moscow will not interfere in the issue of that alliance, but it is feeling its consequence.  He warned that any plans that adopt the logic of confrontation do not help lead a normal life, whether it is the Indo-Pacific strategies that were announced recently or the Triple Alliance also announced between Australia, the United States and Britain.

On  recent developments in Afghanistan, Lavrov said that the hasty withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan was carried out without thinking about its consequences, while there are still many weapons left by the United States there. He underlined the need of ensuring not using  these weapons for “unconstructive” purposes, referring to the contacts between Russia and the Taliban movement to facilitate Afghan reconciliation and ensure the safety of Afghan citizens. He noted that lifting Security Council sanctions on the movement is unimportant now.

On the Palestinian issue, Lavrov said that the actions and unilateral decisions of the administration of former US President Donald Trump did not contribute to achieving any significant progress in the Palestinian issue. He asserted that any settlement should not be at the expense of the Palestinians, and we are ready to support a direct dialogue between the Palestinian and “Israeli” sides. We seek to solve internal disputes between the Palestinians.

Inas Abdulklareem