Anti-Russian Rhetoric Over Syria ‘Dangerous’ – UK Conservative Lawmaker

EDINBURGH (Sputnik) – Kawczynski told Sputnik that much of the rhetoric had arisen because of a fundamental misunderstanding of Russian intentions in Syria.

“Members of Parliament are tripping over themselves in trying to outdo one another in their confrontational and aggressive language towards the Russians and I think that is a very, very dangerous situation and precipitating us to have the worst relations with Russia since 1984. I am genuinely fearful of such a policy,” Kawczynski, who is a member of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs committee, said.

The lawmaker added that the West would not stand by if one if its regional allies was being destabilized in the way Syria has been, and called on Western powers to restart negotiations with Russia to bring about a speedy end to the conflict.

“What I think Russia is trying to do is that after standing aside for the last four years, like the West has, they have now decided to intervene in order to take on these terrorists, who are bringing carnage to Syria. These are terrorists, who deliberately use women and children as human shields,” Kawczynski said.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with opposition factions and Islamist terrorist groups fighting the Syrian army. The Russian Aerospace Forces began their operation against terrorists in Syria on September 30, 2015, at the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Earlier in October, different European politicians, including Germany's Coordinator for Intersocietal Cooperation with Russia, Central Asia and the Eastern Partnership Countries Gernot Erler brought the idea of introducing restrictions against Russia over its role in the Syrian conflict, which had aggravated in recent weeks.