Syria Hands Over German Journalist to Russia

DAMASCUS,(ST)_ Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Faisal al-Miqdad today (Tuesday) handed over a German freelance  journalist who entered Syria  illegally to the Russian ambassador in Damascus Azmatullah Kol  Mohammadov.

Following the handing over Al-Miqdad said that the  aim of the meeting is to hand over the German journalist to the Russian ambassador, adding, “As (Russian Foreign Minister Sergei) Lavrov asked us to mediate and solve the problem of German journalist Billy Six’s release, we told him we were ready to help, though we once again expressed our reservations about those entering illegally into Syria.”

He  decried many reporters’ illegal entry to Syria, stressing that the   Syrian government had offered much facilitation to the foreign media.

He  emphasized  that the Syrian government has provided everything to the  media to do their work legally in Syria but many of the journalists who visited Syria did not adhere to objectivity and they are interested in searching for excitement.

Al-Miqdad added that many journalists have lost their lives at the hands of terrorist groups while they were covering the terrorists ‘  “activities” illegally while 15 Syrians journalists  were killed and did not receive  the attention of their  colleagues in the Western media.

For his part, Russian Ambassador called on all countries to respect Syria’s sovereignty, adding that Syria respects the sincere and objective work of journalists.

He added that honoring Syria ‘s sovereignty is one of the main preconditions to solve the crisis in Syria without foreign intervention, through halting violence and prevention of foreign interference.

T. Fateh