States must determine their future without outside interference, Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, commenting on the crises in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen.
"Any society has the right to choose their own way," Zakharova said.
#Zakharova: We believe that all countries and societies must be free to choose their own way. pic.twitter.com/Dwqd1fNmLq
— MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) 25 февраля 2016 г.
On Syria Ceasefire Deal
"Of course, we heard the first reactions from Washington in regard to the joint document [on ceasefire]. Honestly, we didn’t expect that some officials in the United States would interpret this Russian-American agreement in such a diametrically opposite manner."
#Zakharova: It looks like some US officials are openly sabotaging the Joint Russian-US Statement on Cessation of Hostilities in #Syria
— MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) 25 февраля 2016 г.
She said that "some comments reminded sabotage," however, hopefully, such US authorities' reaction was limited. However, she said that joint work on the truce is ongoing.
#Zakharova: We are simply perplexed by how some US officials interpret the Agreement on the cessation of hostilities in #Syria
— MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) 25 февраля 2016 г.
Military action, including airstrikes conducted by Syria, Russia and the US-led coalition will continue against Daesh, al-Nusra Front, as well as other UN-designated terrorist groups.
A mechanism has been launched between the United States and Russia on exchanging information on the cessation of hostilities in Syria, Zakharova said.
"A mechanism has been established to work on the issues outlined in the joint statement. We have started an exchange of information, military contacts are being carried out."
Earlier, a part of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) said it will not participate in the ceasefire deal unless al-Nusra Front terrorist group is involved. The FSA is one of the groups labeled a "moderate" opposition faction in the Syrian civil war, which broke out in 2011.
Moscow believes that Syrian Kurds must participate in the dialogue between Damascus and the opposition, Zakharova said.
Zakharova reminded that the ceasefire in Syria includes only the Syrian government forces and opposition groups, who agree to participate in the cessation of hostilities.
"The fight against terrorist groups continues, there should be no speculations."
The Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman commented on a statement made by US Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, who expressed concern over Moscow's cooperation with Syrian Kurds.
"Why is he not concerned over US' cooperation with them too, we don't understand," Zakharova added.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zakharova slammed Ankara over a statement made by Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who said that the ceasefire in Syria is not obligatory for Turkey if the country feels a threat for its security.
"Lately, Turkish authorities makes very strange statements concerning its stance on global affairs. Strange and illogical comments [by Turkish authorities] don't seem that illogical, when analyzing some imperial or even neo-Ottoman sentiment," Zakharova said.
On Open Skies Treaty Flight Over Turkey
"It seems that Ankara wanted to hide some activity in those regions," Zakharova noted.
Ankara wanted to shift the blame on the cancellation of Russia's observation flight on Moscow, she said. According to Zakharova, Turkey attempted to blame Russia for the delayed observation flight and pretended that it didn’t intend to deny Moscow this right.
#Zakharova: By denying us the right to an observation flight, Turkey attempted to conceal any activities going on in the overfly zone
— MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) 25 февраля 2016 г.
"I can only imagine what would have been the reaction of NATO officials if Russia had refused to allow carry out observation flights over its border with Ukraine," Zakharova said, commenting on the so-called NATO solidarity concerning Turkey's move.
#Zakharova: Turkey had no right to deny Russia the right to conduct an observation flight over its territory. pic.twitter.com/zuiMsLQh5O
— MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) 25 февраля 2016 г.
"NATO's solidarity sometimes assumes ludicrous forms when the victim is presented as the criminal."
#Zakharova: The @NATO's solidarity sometimes assumes ludicrous forms when the victim is presented as the criminal | @natomission_ru
— MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) 25 февраля 2016 г.
The Open Skies Treaty was signed in March 1992 and became one of the major confidence-building measures in Europe after the Cold War. It entered into force on January 1, 2002, and currently has 34 States Parties, including Russia and the majority of the NATO countries.
#Zakharova: As a party to the Open Skies Treaty, Russia allowed unhindered observation flights over its territory https://t.co/nZSOw9KJNB
— MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) 25 февраля 2016 г.
The treaty allows participating countries to openly gather information on each other's military forces and activities.
On EU-Ukraine Association Agreement
She said EU authorities launched a PR-campaign in favor of the deal, misinforming people concerning the issue.
The Netherlands is the only EU country that has not yet ratified the Ukraine-EU association deal, which establishes a political and economic association between the parties. The government decided to hold a non-binding referendum after over 400,000 people signed a petition to put the matter to a nationwide vote.
On Accusations of 'Media Propaganda'
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zakharova said that it is hypocritical that while German authorities blame Moscow of "anti-German propaganda," anti-Russian stance of German media outlets is ignored by Berlin.
"Our relations are based, most importantly, on mutual sympathy between our people," Putin said, adding that the relations have hardly changed to the worse.
"In Germany, there is a high influence on media, especially from overseas," Putin added.
