Attempts to Isolate Anyone Inadmissible during Anti-Terrorism Struggle: Lavrov

CAIRO- Anti-terrorism initiatives should not be based on attempts to isolate anyone, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters after the 2+2 ministerial talks in Cairo on Monday.

“It is important that they (anti-terrorism efforts) are all-encompassing, inclusive, that they are not based on attempts to isolate anyone, especially if those attempts, to be frank, are made in the context of differences that exist inside Islam,” he said. “I hope that we all will eventually unite, ignoring the issues that are not related to the struggle against terrorism. In this case we would succeed in all directions,” according to Itar Tass.

 “This is exactly what President Vladimir Putin’s initiative, voiced at the 70 UN General Assembly, is about. It is the initiative of forming a truly universal, truly worldwide anti-terrorism front,” the minister said.

Anti-terrorism among priorities of Russian-Egyptian ministerial talks

Lavrov also said that anti-terrorism efforts were among the issues that topped the agenda of Monday’s talks between foreign and defense ministers of Russia and Egypt.

“The attack that took place in recent days, when militants gunned a convoy of buses with Coptic pilgrims, once again stresses the need to stay alert all the time and to make international cooperation as broad as possible in the fight against terrorism,” he said at a joint news conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry. “This issue was among the priorities during the separate talks of foreign and defense ministers and particularly during the meeting with Egyptian Preisdent Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.”

Lavrov added that the sides demonstrated unity in approaches to measures that the international community should take to make the struggle against terrorism more successful.

“(We) also discussed in a most detailed manner the practical steps that are currently being made, and considered the need to diversify them, to deepen our cooperation both bilaterally and within the UN framework, where Russia and Egypt would continue to cooperate as members of the UN Security Council,” Russia’s top diplomat said.

Egypt supports Astana process on Syria — Lavrov

Egypt continues supporting the Astana process on the Syrian settlement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a joint news conference with Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in Cairo.

“Our Egyptian friends support the Astana process, within the framework of which an agreement was reached on May 4 to create four de-escalation zones in Syria as the first move towards spreading the ceasefire to involve the entire country and as a very important measure that gives a possibility to separate [normal armed opposition] and terrorists of Islamic State,” Lavrov said.

He said the Astana process will make it possible to draw a clear line between terrorists and the armed opposition in Syria. “Now, within the framework of the Astana process with the participation of Russia, Turkey and Iran, such separation becomes possible, and experts from our countries with the participation of experts from some other states will continue work to coordinate details that will make it possible to translate into practice the concept of de-escalation zones, and we welcome the participation of our Egyptian friends in this activity,” the senior Russian diplomat said.

 H.M