Al-Shibel: Syria supports Russia’s right to protect its national security, based on its position in support of the peoples’ right to defend themselves

Damascus (ST): The Special Adviser to the Presidency of the Republic, Luna Al-Shibel, affirmed that Syria supported Russia’s right and duty to defend itself, its land, people, borders, and its national security in accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations to confront the threats of NATO and the neo-Nazis in Ukraine.

Al-Shibel said in an interview with BBC Arabic that the Charter of the United Nations, according to Article 51, allows states, in the event of a threat or aggression, to defend themselves, and it does not matter here the interpretation that Western countries want for this article.

Al-Shibel stressed that Syria’s position is firm and principled in supporting the peoples’ right to defend themselves and that it always takes its decisions calmly and not in the form of reactions, meaning that its position is based on interests, principles and common issues between the Syrian and Russian states, noting that Russia was not only threatened, but presented with documents that assert that Ukraine would have launched the aggression against it had it not taken the initiative to defend itself.

Regarding the mobilization of volunteers in Syria to go to Ukraine, Al-Shibel said: “In fact, many Syrians have expressed their desire to volunteer and fight alongside Russia in its military operation in order to repay the favor for standing with the Syrian people and army in the war on terrorism, but from our knowledge of the development of field conditions and military operations in Russia, there is no need for volunteers now, noting that Russia did not formally request Syrian volunteers from the Syrian state, and therefore the Syrian state cannot take any official action as long as there is no request from Russia in this regard.

Al-Shibel stressed that the alliance between Syria and Russia does not mean only a military operation here or a plane flying there, or that we fight terrorism somewhere, but rather that we share the same positions in major issues, and this means that we were aware of what happened.

On the impact of Western sanctions and pressures on Russia and the Ukrainian crisis on Syria, Al-Shibel said that the annual Syrian budget is according to Syria’s resources and production and what it can do and does not depend at all on the Russian government or its resources.

She explained that, by imposing sanctions on Russia, the West is besieging itself. Western countries have deprived Russia of cosmetics and fashion brands, while Russia can deprive the West of energy, minerals and basic materials, and that the area of Russia is four times the size of the countries that are besieging it, and thus the costs of Western flights will increase.

Al-Shibel said the world is not only the West, and we in Syria are besieged before sanctions are imposed on Russia,yet we can secure the basic needs of the citizens through difficult ways, and therefore the West cannot control everything.

Regarding the Israeli attacks on Syria and the Russian response, Al-Shibel said that the use of weapons between two countries is related to the existing agreement between them and is not related to personal whims, demands and shouting. There isn’t any party that can fight a war instead of Syria, but on the political side, because the issue is not only militarily, Russia has spared no effort and has not stopped communicating with Israel, this usurping, occupying and lying entity. On the military level, this is not their role.

Al-Shibel added that Syria has the right to respond to Israeli attacks, and this right does not fall by statute, but when a state responds, it responds according to the circumstances it deems appropriate in the appropriate time and place, and when it sees that this response will be in its interest and not the other way around. On the other hand, Syria fought for eleven years against terrorist organizations supported logistically, militarily and politically by “Israel”, and the terrorists used to return to them to receive treatment and training, and to return to Syria to practice terrorism, and thus we were fighting in one way or another “Israel” through these tools.

In response to a question about relations with Iran, Al-Shibel explained that Syria and Iran are allies, and when the ally is in a good situation, you are in a good situation, and vice versa.

Regarding the work of the committee to discuss the constitution, Al-Shibel said that in order to reach constructive proposals, the interlocutors must be Syrians and not only by identity, for the national delegation left Damascus, but where did other delegations come from and who put the names.  In order to reach a conclusion, it must negotiate with a patriot and partner who holds the same principles and bears the same principles, concerns and not with someone sent by the Turkish regime or others.

K.Q.