Washington Failed in Its Syria Commitments, Tries to Shift Blame on Russia- Moscow

MOSCOW- In response to Washington’s decision to end bilateral contact with Moscow over Syria, the Russian Foreign Ministry has accused the US of attempting to shift its own responsibility.

“Washington has simply failed to live up to the key commitment under the agreements — to facilitate the humanitarian assistance to residents of Aleppo city,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told Russia’s First Channel.

“And now, apparently, the Americans are apparently trying to shift the responsibility on somebody else.”

She added that “the United States failed to comply with its obligations pertaining to the delineation of the opposition from the terrorists in Syria,” according to Sputnik.

Washington’s actions have resulted in regrouping of gunmen in Syria, Zakharova said:

“Washington’s inaction has resulted in militants regrouping over that period, getting weapons and mobilizing their resources.”

“Generally speaking, all boiled down to a simple question – what is Jabhat al-Nusra [terrorist group banned in Russia], who stands behind it and why can’t Washington fulfill what has been promised, namely dissociate terrorists and the so-called moderate opposition,” she said.

Moscow regrets Washington’s decision to wrap up the work of expert groups on Syria:

“We regret Washington’s decision to fold the work of groups of specialists in Geneva, call back experts and confine contacts only to the sphere of preventing conflicts,” she said in the interview.

 Washington Announces Halt of All Bilateral Contacts with Russia on Syria

Earlier on Monday, the US State Department announced that Washington would suspend participation in “bilateral channels with Russia that were established to sustain the Cessation of Hostilities,” according to spokesperson John Kirby.

Konstantin Kosachev, head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the upper house of the Russian parliament, also criticized the US decision.

 “Russia has striven for continuing dialogue with the US on Syria until the last moment, and only our position was keeping the chance to launch a stable peace process alive,” he said, adding that Washington’s uncompromising stance is based “to a great extent on subjective factors linked with the current presidential election cycle.”

Lavrov has earlier stressed the importance of upholding the Syrian agreements. “We are convinced that the strict implementation [of these agreements] could help establish efficient coordination in the fight against terrorism, strengthen the ceasefire regime and expand access to civilian population in need of humanitarian aid.”

H.M