Bogdanov Urged Immediate Action to Release Abducted Nuns of Maaloula’s St. Tecla Monastery

MOSCOW -Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Bogdanov has described the abduction of the nuns of St. Tecla Monastery in Maaloula by the armed terrorist groups as a criminal act, stressing the need to unify efforts to punish perpetrators and their supporters.

Interviewed recently by SANA correspondent in Moscow, Bogdanov said Russia has immediately condemned the crime of abducting the nuns and called for liberating them.

“This is absolutely a criminal act that should be condemned and mustn’t go without the punishment of perpetrators and their supporters,” Bogdanov said, expressing hope that urgent and effective procedures should be adopted to guarantee the release of the abducted nuns along with Mother Belagia.

The Russian diplomat affirmed Russia’s solidarity with all components of the Syrian society and representatives of religions, who are experiencing critical circumstances under the crisis in the country, urging the holding of the international conference on Syria so as to attain a political solution that halts violence, attains reconciliation and solves all complicated humanitarian issues in the country.

He pointed out that Russia keeps contacting representatives of Syrian “opposition” with the purpose of ending the ongoing conflict and proceeding in the track of the political settlement and dialogue among the Syrians, based on respecting Syria’s sovereignty and maintaining the higher interests of the Syrian people who should live in peace and security.

12 nuns were captured on Monday by armed extremists after they attacked the ancient monastery St. Tecla monastery in Maaloula 55 km north of Damascus.

Earlier, some representative of the Christian community in Syria said that the captured nuns were alive and in Yabrud.

Haddad: Syria’s Humanitarian File Politicized

Riyd Haddad, The Syrian Ambassador in Moscow has said that the Syria’s humanitarian file is being politicized and  used as “a pressure card” by some anti-Syria countries aiming to achieve their political and military schemes and to accuse the Syrian government of not being able to meet the humanitarian needs of the people.

Haddad affirmed the Syrian government’s keen efforts to provide the humanitarian requirements of the Syrian people despite the ongoing difficult circumstances and the unjust sanctions imposed on the Syrian people by the European Union, the United States and some Arab countries.

H. Mustafa