Russian Foreign Ministry Agenda
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit UAE and Oman on February 1-3.
"Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit the Middle East region February 1-3, specifically the United Arab Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman," Zakharova said during her weekly briefing.
She said the discussions would focus on a wide range of issues on the international agenda, as well as prospective projects in the energy, metallurgy, and industrial spheres.
Syria Peace Talks
Moscow hopes that all Syrian opposition groups are ready for talks with Damascus, Maria Zakharova said ahead of the intra-Syria negotiations due to begin on Friday.
The Syrian government delegation has arrived in Geneva and is ready for talks, she added.
"We have a clear understanding and reliable information that the Syrian government delegation has arrived in Geneva and is ready for talks," ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters.
Moscow calls on all parties of intra-Syrian peace talks to abandon preconditions for peaceful settlement, the foreign ministry spokeswoman said.
The discussions on the Syrian crisis settlement will last at least six months with the first part of the negotiations to last approximately two-three weeks.
Claims of Russia allegedly derailing the Syrian peace talks are absurd, Zakharova said.
"As for accusations from some representatives of the Syrian opposition delegation that Russia is allegedly to blame for derailing the Geneva talks [on the Syrian settlement], they are complete nonsense. Russia has been one of the initiators of the dialogue between Damascus and the opposition."
The so-called "Libyan scenario" can repeat if the fate of Syrian President Bashar Assad would be decided from the outside, the spokeswoman said. She yet again emphasized Moscow's principled stance that only Syrian people should decide the fate of their country.
"Any statements that somebody out there knows better how Syria should live and what the president should do and when he should leave may turn Syria into a new Libya."
Moscow's and Washington's support of Syrian opposition groups are "fundamentally different" first of all because Russia's actions in support of the opposition groups are agreed with Damascus, Zakharova said.
Moscow is providing assistance to Syrian opposition groups to combat terrorism, while Washington's support is particularly aimed at the fight against the Syrian government, she added.
"We [Moscow] never said that all opposition groups [in Syria] confronting Damascus are terrorists," the spokeswoman said.
Alleged Rape of Russian Teen in Germany
Such cases should not be hushed up, she emphasized, adding that Moscow does not intervene in the investigation in Germany.
On Wednesday, the German Foreign Office handed the Russian ambassador data it had gathered in the case of a 13-year-old Russian girl, who had reportedly been kidnapped and sexually assaulted by men of refugee background, weeks after sex attacks in Cologne.
Last week, hundreds of Russian-speaking Germans protested the alleged cover-up of the crime by Berlin police outside Chancellor Angela Merkel’s office in Berlin.
Russia has all rights to urge German authorities to inform Moscow of the investigation because the girl is a Russian citizen, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman emphasized.
Russian and German foreign policy chiefs will hold phone talks on Friday and will discuss the alleged rape case in particular, Zakharova said.
NATO Military Buildup Near Russian Borders
Washington tries to justify NATO military buildup near Russian borders by proclaiming Russia a threat to its security, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.
"Let's look at an updated strategy for the US Command in Europe (EUCOM), where Russia is called "a global challenge that requires a global response," while confronting Russia is a top priority. All this is done in order to once again in theory, philosophically or conceptually justify own steps… toward military buildup near Russian borders."
"We would like to draw your attention to the malignancy of this confrontational approach that, unfortunately, part of the elite in Washington hold and that bears heavy consequences for global security," she added.
Russia would take into account US military actions in Europe, Zakharova added.
Washington will fail to intimidate Russia through military actions, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.
"Those who know the Russian history are aware that attempts to intimidate us [Russia] don't work."
