Washington Stands in the Way of Fight against Terrorists in Idlib: Moscow

MOSCOW- The US is impeding fight against terrorism in Idlib province in the northwest of Syria, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in an interview with the Mezhdunarodnaya Zhizn (International Affairs) magazine.

According to Itar Tass, the Russian diplomat said Washington currently rejects all positive developments in the country. “It hurts Americans to see that others are doing something useful, that is why they are impeding a normal settlement of the problem of fight against terrorism in Idlib,” the diplomat said in the interview, parts of which were uploaded to the magazine’s website.

“They keep the base in Al-Tanf, they are turning a deaf ear to the arguments absolutely evident to an impartial onlooker that the armed forces cannot stay on the territory of another state without the invitation of the legitimate government,” he went on to say.

 He stressed that Moscow is making every effort to liquidate the terrorist threat and normalize life in Syria. “We are working on this trajectory with a wide circle of international partners,” Ryabkov said.

“Unlike the US and the coalition it leads, we are in fact, not in word moving towards gradual stabilization and normalization of the situation in that country together with the guarantor countries Turkey and Iran,” he went on to say.

Idlib is the only region in Syria remaining in the hands of illegal armed units. In 2017, a northern de-escalation zone was established there, where militants who have refused to participate in the reconciliation process and to lay down arms, can move with their families.

Russian military in Idlib together with the Syrian authorities have organized in Idlib a humanitarian corridor through which civilians can leave the province controlled by the militants.

 Bolton’s Claim Russia Is ‘Stuck up’ in Syria not Correct: Kremlin

Meantime, the Kremlin regards as incorrect US presidential national security adviser John Bolton’s remark Russia is allegedly stuck in Syria, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media.

It is not correct for anyone, let alone our counterparts in Washington, to claim that Russia has stuck someplace,” he said. “Let us not forget that US military personnel is present on Syrian soil, too. This should be born in mind.”

According to Itar Tass, Peskov said Russia has been playing a very active role in fighting international terrorism, Daesh and other terrorist groups in Syria and in putting Syria on the track of political and diplomatic settlement.

 “Also, Russia actively promotes the return of refugees to Syria and the beginning of the country’s postwar reconstruction,” he added.

Earlier, Bolton told Reuters in an interview during his three-day visit to Israel that Russia was “stuck” in Syria at the moment.

 H.M