Russia Warns against Coddling Terrorists, Stresses Support for Extremists from Abroad Continues

BAKU- Moscow has called for avoiding the practice of employing terrorists active in Syria as a quick fix to achieve short-term goals, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said addressing the students of Azerbaijan’s Diplomatic Academy, according to Itar Tass.

According to him, the fight against international terrorism requires joint efforts by the global community. “Both Russia and Azerbaijan stand for fighting the war on terror without any double standards, so that no one could use terrorists as quick fixes in achieving some short-term goals, as we see happening in Syria and some other countries in the Middle East,” the Russian top-diplomat stressed.

 “We know how terror groups such as Al-Qaeda and ISIL [the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the former name of the Islamic State terror group outlawed in Russia – TASS] were created,” Lavrov pointed out. “It is a huge miscalculation to believe that any of these groups may be used in order to overthrow a regime and then remain loyal to its sponsors. History shows that it happens the other way around,” the Russian foreign minister said.

Diplomat slams US-led coalition in Syria for ‘double-dealing’ with terrorists

Meanwhile in Moscow,Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva, Alexey Borodavkin told Izvestia thatthe US-led coalition has not given up the double-dealing with terrorists in Syria, while support for extremists from abroad continues.

 “In violation of UN Security Council resolutions, the funding of armed [jihadists] from abroad continues,” he said. “The US-led Western coalition has never given up the double-dealing with terrorists in Syria.”

On November 14, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the operation to liberate the city of Abu Kamal carried by Syrian government troops backed by the Russian Aerospace Forces had revealed direct interaction and support for the so called Islamic State (IS, terror group, outlawed in Russia) by the US-led coalition.

The Defense Ministry noted, in particular, that the coalition’s aircraft attempted to prevent the Russian Aerospace Forces from bombing ISIS terrorists near Abu Kamal.

H.M