His stance is close to the position of the United States and Britain. Both Washington and London have accused Russia of prolonging the war.
This statement is part of the strategy France has been following since the beginning of the Syrian crisis. Paris supports military actions against the Syrian government, French senator Gilbert Roger said.
According to journalist Richard Labeviere, France does not have an independent position and follows the strategy of its NATO allies. He added that the statement by Ayrault about Russia and Iran reflects this situation.
"I think there is no change [to France’s stance towards Assad]. Paris is continuing the strategy that was started by Alain Juppe who shut down the French embassy in Damascus in 2012. Lorain Fabius continues Juppe’s anti-Assad and anti-Daesh doctrine. However, while Daesh is a real threat to France, the Syrian government doesn’t threat to France’s national interests," Labeviere said.
He also underscored that France would like to develop cooperation with Russia but at the same time Paris has to conduct its foreign policy in compliance with NATO.
"Recently, Ayrault admitted that anti-Russian sanctions are harmful for the French economy and they should be revised. At the same time, at the recent NATO summit Paris agreed on the deployment of NATO troops in Poland and the Baltics. It’s clear that France doesn’t have a sovereign stance, independent from NATO," Labeviere pointed out.
