“With the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra everything is clear, these organizations are acknowledged by everyone as being terrorist and included in the according list of the UN Security Council…The absence of the remaining terrorist groups in this list is being used by several forces for speculation, distortion, and attempts to present these criminal groups as insurgent representatives of the armed wing of the moderate Syrian opposition,” Kinshchak said in an interview.
Kinshchak added that terrorists need to be categorized by their actions, including the killing of prisoners, shooting civilians, that they are family members of civil servants or military, as well as using discriminatory measures in regard to individuals of other religious beliefs, and shelling residential districts in cities.
The creation of the Jaysh al-Sham group in Syria is an attempt to legitimize well-known terrorist organizations as a moderate opposition with which to work with, Alexander Kinshchak said.
“I understand that this is another attempt at ‘rebranding’ famous terrorist organizations with the goal of legitimizing them as a moderate opposition, which supposedly expresses the aspirations and will of the Syrian people, and which may and must be worked with. As far as I understand, Jaysh al-Sham is being formed from former militants from Jabhat al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham, who have a deserved reputation of being complete cutthroats and are up to their elbows in blood,” Kinshchak said in an interview.
Kinshchak added that Russia will not hold any talks with terrorists and similar attempts to legitimize the militants of terrorist groups will “remain on the conscious of those attempting to overthrow the legitimate government of Syria by any means.”
#SYRIA Destruction of large terrorist centre in #Idlib used for training of militants https://t.co/qODqatzZ0L pic.twitter.com/x6NO9O9KKa
— Минобороны России (@mod_russia) 12 октября 2015
Moscow has turned for help from countries in contact with the moderate Syrian opposition in order to reach agreement in the joint fight against terrorism, Russian Ambassador to Syria said.
“In regard to this we have turned for help from those countries that are maintaining close ties with the armed wing of the so-called moderate Syrian opposition. So far we haven’t received any concrete information and I’m not sure that we will in the near future,” Kinshchak said in an interview.
Kinshchak also cast doubt that the moderate opposition has any sort of military capabilities with which it would be possible to agree in a joint fight against terrorists.
Moscow welcomes Iran’s efforts in destroying terrorist organizations in Syria and is prepared to cooperate with all states wishing to contribute to the joint fight against terrorism, Alexander Kinshchak said.
“Iran is contributing considerable material aid to the legitimate Syrian government…We can only welcome their efforts directed at destroying the terrorist presence in Syria and are ready to cooperate with all states that can and want to contribute to this joint fight [against terrorism]. We call on all countries to unite in a broad anti-terrorist front,” Kinshchak said in an interview.
Airstrikes by Russia’s Aerospace Forces in just a few days of operations in Syria have delivered a serious blow to the infrastructure of terrorists and have created favorable conditions for the Syrian Army’s offensive, Kinshchak said.
#SYRIA Airstrike on ammunition depot in mountain-woody area near #SALMA (#LATAKIA) https://t.co/7CAmeMgpGU pic.twitter.com/1Kmjvzt5Rj
— Минобороны России (@mod_russia) 13 октября 2015
“It seems to me that there is something that should and needs to be proud about in the attained results. In a short period of time we were able to do what our partners in the US-led international coalition could not do in a year…Thanks to the effective and productive work in just a few days, we were able to deliver a serious blow to the infrastructure of terrorists, and by doing so have created favorable conditions for the development in the offensive of the Syrian Army on the ground,” Kinshchak said in an interview.
Mutual understanding between the Syrian authorities and the opposition after the war will significantly speed up the process of “local peacemaking” and may provide for joint efforts in the fight against terrorism, Russian Ambassador added.
“Getting a mutual understanding of how to rebuild Syria after the war would give considerable impulse to the process of local peacemaking and could provide for the joining of efforts by the army and wholesome elements of the armed opposition in the fight against terrorists,” Kinshchak said in an interview.
The changing of the Syrian regime through a military coup supported from without would be a heinous violation in international law and Russia will prevent this from happening, Kinshchak said.
“Today, Russia is practically blocking attempts to change the regime [in Syria] from without through a military takeover of power, which would be a heinous violation to the basic norms of international law. And looking at the nervous reaction to our [military] operation, countries standing behind these plans are upset,” Kinshchak said in an interview.
