Ministers Al-Moallem-Lavrov Conference and Talks

Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign and Expatriates Minister Walid al-Moallem affirmed that Turkey’s downing of the Russian warplane is an “act of aggression” that encroaches on the sovereignty of Syria as the plane was shot down in Syrian airspace, adding that Turkey has failed to provide any clear evidence regarding this incident.

In a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, al-Moallem stressed that Turkey is supporting terrorist organizations with weapons and facilitating their movements through the Turkish lands and securing their families, according to SANA.

 Al-Moallem hailed the stances of the Russian leadership towards Syria, mainly the efforts exerted by minister Lavrov in promoting the political process in Vienna, noting that these stances reflect the depth of the strategic alliance between Syria and Russia.

Addressing those who are demanding President Bashar al-Assad to step down, al-Moallem said “You are delusional and the reason is obvious because President al-Assad believes in the right of Syrian people to self-determination and will not allow anyone to take this right away,” said Al-Moallem.

The minister pointed out that the Russian Air Force in cooperation with Syrian Arab Army had put an end to the dreams of Erdogan which prompted Turkey to mount this aggression.

Al-Moallem said that Turkey continues to provide a cover for ISIS oil smuggling operations from Syria and Iraq into Turkey before heading to ports abroad.

Al-Moallem challenged the US Secretary of State John Kerry to offer a single piece of evidence that the Syrian side is striking oil deals with ISIS. “After all, it is not his first lie,” al-Moallem mocked.

In turn, Lavrov confirmed that Russia will offer all it can to help Syria in combating terrorism, preserving its national unity, rebuilding it and providing Syria with the effective support on the international level.

He pointed out the need to hold Syrian-Syrian dialogue which brings together the Syrian government and part of the opposition adding that all the parties concerned should contribute to supporting a peaceful political process and exert their efforts to launch dialogue.

“The essence of the Vienna talks stipulates that the Syrians should determine the future of their country without outside interference, adding that Russia opposes Western attempts to come up with candidates for Syria’s leadership,” Lavrov added.

Commenting on the downing of a Russian Su-24 bomber by the Turkish Air Force, Lavrov wondered if Turkey is interested in combating terrorism in Syria and in the efforts to achieve stability and security.

Lavrov said eliminating ISIS is a necessity and Syria’s neighboring countries have a special responsibility in this confirming that combating terrorism in the Middle East requires abandoning double standard policies.

Al-Moallem: Syrian army making advances on all fronts backed by Russian air force

Earlier on Friday, the minister al-Moallem said the Syrian army is making progress on all fronts backed by the Russian air force.

During a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Friday, al-Moallem thanked the Russian leadership under President Vladimir Putin for its sincere efforts in supporting Syria against terrorism.

He affirmed that the Russian airstrikes in Syria have so far outdone by hundred times the Us-led coalition in the fight against ISIS, expressing sincere condolences over the death of the Russian pilot whose aircraft was downed by Turkey, describing it as a “stab in the back.”

“We have been at the receiving end of such stabs for over five years,” al-Moallem said.

Lavrov, for his part, said his country highly appreciates the Syrian government’s commitment to counterterrorism, vowing continued support for Syria to rout terrorists.

“We will continue providing all the necessary assistance to Syria in its war against terrorism in parallel with launching a political process,” added Lavrov, thanking the Syrian army for rescuing the Russian pilot whose aircraft was shot down by Turkey and for providing protection for the Russian embassy in Damascus.

“The Turkish leadership has crossed the line of what is acceptable and risks putting Turkey in a most severe situation,” he warned.

Turkey Supports Terrorism Has Been ‘Backstabbing Us for Years’ – Syrian FM

Ankara has been supporting terrorism and “backstabbing” Damascus for five years, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said commenting on the downing of the Russian Su-24 bomber over Syria by the Turkish Air Force on November 24.

“We agree with Russian President Putin’s words that it was a stab in Russia’s back. And we have been saying for five years that Turkey helps terrorists due to ideological reasons, which means they have been backstabbing us everyday for five years.” The Sputnik News reported.

Military cooperation between Moscow and Damascus has led to the start of the countdown to the destruction of terrorists in Syria, Muallem added prior to talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Friday.

“I can confirm that thanks to the military cooperation between Russia and Syria, the countdown has begun toward the destruction of terrorists in our country.”

The Syrian top diplomat praised the efficiency of the Russian counterterrorist campaign. Russian Aerospace Forces have done 100 times more than the US-led coalition, Walid Muallem said.

“I can confirm that thanks to the help and efforts of Russia’s Aerospace Forces, the Syrian Army has been able to make incredibly more progress on the battlefield since the Russian Aerospace Forces have been able to do 100 more times as much in a short time than the US-led coalition, which has still not been able to stop the spread of the Islamic State in our country.”

Meanwhile, Moscow believes that Ankara “crossed the line” by downing Russia’s Su-24 Fencer bomber over Syria and this could put Turkey in a very difficult situation, Sergei Lavrov said.

“We believe that the Turkish leadership crossed the line and is risking putting Turkey in a very difficult situation, from the point of view of long-term national interests and from the point of view of the situation in the region,” Lavrov said.

The Russian foreign minister added that Moscow gave special meaning to joint actions with Damascus in the current stage in the fight against terrorism.

“We give special meaning to the tight coordination and joint actions with the government of the Syrian Arab Republic on the current, extremely crucial stage in the decisive fight against terrorism, as well as progress on the political settlement in the interests of all Syrians without exception,” he said.

Lavrov said Russia will continue supporting Syria in its struggle against terrorism.

Earlier on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Syrian Armed Forces were the only real power that could tackle the Islamic State jihadist group and other terrorist organizations operating in Syria on the ground.

Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011. The government forces are fighting a number of opposition groups and militant organizations, including Nusra Front and ISIL, occupying vast territories of the country.

On September 30 Russia commenced a military operation against ISIL terrorists in Syria at the request of President Bashar Assad.

On November 24 a Turkish F-16 shot down a Russian Su-24 bomber over Syria. Moscow and Damascus confirmed that the aircraft had not violated the Turkish airspace. One of the pilots was killed by fire from the ground, and the second was rescued.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin called the incident “a stab in the back”. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara would not apologize for its actions.