Moscow, Cairo stress the necessity of preserving Syria’s unity and sovereignty

MOSCOW, Jan.31, (ST)- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry, have stressed the necessity of preserving the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the Syrian territories, and resolving the crisis there politically.

Lavrov said during a joint press conference held on Tuesday with Shoukry: “ “The discussions focused on the importance of preserving Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and respecting Syrians’ rights to determine their own destiny.”

Moreover, it was reported that Lavrov had briefed Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry about the progress of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine.

“At the request of our Egyptian friends we have provided detailed information about the events related to the special military operation in Ukraine,” Lavrov said.

“[We have provided information] about the long years of sabotaging the Minsk accords that preceded the current situation and that were actively used by the Ukrainian regime and Western countries, which nurtured that regime, to prepare a war against the Russian Federation, which has now been openly acknowledged by the signatories of the Minsk accords: former Ukrainian President [Pyotr] Poroshenko and former leaders of Germany and France Mrs. [Angela] Merkel and Mr. [Francois] Hollande,” the Russian minister added.

Concerning Iranian nuclear deal, Lavrov drclared that Moscow is concerned about the tensions around Iran and considers the West’s course to scrap the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) for the Iranian nuclear program a mistake.

“Yes, we are concerned about this. We believe that it is a huge mistake by the West, primarily by the participants in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action for the Iranian nuclear program. They have openly taken a course towards scrapping this important document, which was unanimously approved by the UN Security Council,” he said.

Lavrov drew attention to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s statement that Washington was considering, among other things, military means of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
“These actions by the West mean only one thing: they prefer to defy the UN Security Council’s resolutions and opt for aggressive actions, including the use of military force, instead of implementing the decisions of the highest UN body,” Lavrov said.

“If they want to make this their main aim, they don’t have to knock on an open door. The Iranian religious leadership has long issued a fatwa prohibiting the development of nuclear weapons. If anyone still has doubts about this, the JCPOA provides for the most stringent and strict verification procedure in relation to Iran’s nuclear program as compared to the rules that exist in relation to any other country,” Lavrov added.

The JCPOA was signed with Tehran in 2015 by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany in order to address the crisis over Iran’s nuclear research. In 2018, the former president of the United States, Donald Trump, pulled out of this agreement. The current US leader, Joe Biden, has repeatedly signaled his willingness to bring Washington back into the nuclear deal.

For his part, the Egyptian foreign minister stressed that his country will follow developments within the framework of bilateral relations and relations with international partners, and will continue to seek diplomatic solutions to the Ukranian crisis.

Egypt’s top diplomat arrived in Moscow on Monday evening. The Egyptian foreign ministry said earlier that Shoukry intended to discuss international and regional issues, including the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and its consequences. The program of his visit also includes meetings with Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov and Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev to discuss “all issues of bilateral relations” and the implementation of joint projects.

Moscow and Cairo maintain regular communication at various levels. Lavrov visited Cairo in July 2022. In September, the two top diplomats met on the margins of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Notably, Shoukry is visiting Moscow a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Cairo, as part of his Middle East tour from January 29-31, according to TASS.

Basma Qaddour