Moscow Renews Call for Political Settlement in Syria Based on Security Council Resolutions, ISSG Decisions
MOSCOW, (ST)- Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has renewed his country’s call for political solution to the crisis in Syria based on Security Council resolutions and the International Syria Support Group’s (ISSG) decisions.
Speaking in a joint news conference with his Saudi counterpart Ade al-Jubeir today in Moscow, Lavrov reiterated the need to combat the terrorism of ISIS, Jabhat al-Nusra and al-Qaeda.
“We stressed the need to seek solutions to all Middle East issues based on international legitimacy and comprehensive national dialogue in all countries of the region. We also affirmed adherence to support efforts aiming to reach political settlement n Syria based on the Security Council Resolutions and the ISSG decisions. Focus was also made on the need to protect minorities’ rights and to solve conflicts in Yemen, Libya, Iraq and other countries in the region,” Lavrov said.
He added “our stances were unified as regards the need to combat international terrorism and foil the plans of terrorist organizations like Jabhat al-Nusra, ISIS and al-Qaeda.”
He pointed out that he drew the attention of Russia’s “partners” to the initiative of President Vladimir Putin on establishing a UN-sponsored wide anti-terrorism front.
The Russian capital hosted a fourth round of Russia-GCC strategic dialogue on Thursday where the countries discussed the security situation in Iraq and backed the UN-led peace processes in Yemen, Libya and other countries of the Middle East and North Africa.
US Not Ready to Fight Terrorism Alongside Russian Air Force in Syria
Regarding Coordination between the United States and Russia in the fight against terrorism, Lavrov said: “in regard to Russian-American coordination in the fight against terrorism, this coordination has not yet been formed completely.”
“There is progress in terms of agreeing actions when already on the battlefield in the Syrian airspace, but we are moving slower than Moscow would like,” Lavrov told reporters.
“At first, they were ready just for a mechanism to avoid incidents, then they agreed to establish a communication channel to exchange information about who had joined the ceasefire. But they are not ready yet for real combat coordination,” he added.
Hamda Mustafa