US Creating Army of 'Free Syria' in Region Near Raqqa – Lavrov
08:51 GMT 10.05.2023 (Updated: 12:09 GMT 10.05.2023)
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The United States has started the creation of the so-called "Free Syria Army" with the participation of terrorist organizations in order to destabilize the situation in the country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday.
"According to our information, the US has began to create the so-called 'Free Syrian Army' in the vicinity of the Syrian Raqqa with the participation of representatives of local Arab tribes, militants of Daesh* and other terrorist organizations," Lavrov said during a meeting with the foreign ministers of Iran, Syria and Turkiye.
16 March 2023, 08:59 GMT
The US wants to use these fighters against the legitimate authorities of the Syrian Arab Republic to destabilize the situation in the country, the minister added. He said that US should stop undermining peace in the region and respect the will of the people of the Middle East.
US backs jihadist groups since the outbreak of conflict in 2011. Currently, US army illegally controls oil-rich territories of Syria.
Turkiye-Syria Rapprochment
Commenting on the Turkish-Syrian normalization process, top diplomat stressed it has a positive impact on the situation in the region and the Middle East as a whole.
"The launch of the process of Syrian-Turkish normalization ... has a noticeable positive impact not only on the situation around Syria but also on the general atmosphere in the Middle East region as a whole," Lavrov stated.
Turkiye and Syria always were at some odds, but tensions heated up after the start of civil war in Syria, instigated by US. Russia invested time and efforts to normalize situation, hosting a surprise meeting of defense ministers of both countries last December and initiating a series of talks between top diplomats of Syria and Turkiye with support of Iran.
Forthcoming Turkiye Elections
Referring to upcoming elections in Turkiye, Russian FM expressed the hope that the they will be held without any external meddling.
"I would like to take this opportunity to wish our Turkish colleagues a successful general elections. These elections, as I know, have already begun outside the country. I am sure that they will be honest, transparent, and will ensure the will of the Turkish people without any outside interference," Lavrov said.
Turkiye's presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled on May 14. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, put forward by an opposition alliance, is considered incumbent president Erdogan's main opponent. The list of candidates also includes Muharrem Ince of the Homeland Party and Sinan Ogan of the ATA Alliance.
US, EU Not Lifting Anti-Syria Sanctions Despite Earthquakes
Russian top diplomat stressed that the European Union and the United States have not lifted the sanctions they imposed against Syria even despite the devastating earthquakes that hit the Middle Eastern country in February.
"We have repeatedly ... called for the nondiscrimination, politicization and imposition of preconditions in providing humanitarian assistance to countries affected by armed conflicts and natural disasters like the February 6 earthquakes ... It is indicative that even this tragedy has not prompted the US and the EU to show mercy. There has been no relaxation of the inhumane and illegal sanctions against Syria," Lavrov said.
He added that Moscow has always rejected any unilateral sanctions that violate international law and the UN Charter.
On February 6, two earthquakes of magnitudes 7.7 and 7.6 hit the southeast of Turkiye and Syria. The death toll from the earthquakes has exceeded 50,000 in Turkiye and 8,000 in Syria.
Many countries have expressed their willingness to provide humanitarian aid to Syria, but they have faced difficulties due to the sanctions imposed on the country's government by the EU, the US and the United Kingdom after the start of the civil war in 2011.
Although the EU has temporarily softened its sanctions against Damascus to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria, most of the restrictive measures have remained in effect. Moreover, in late April, the bloc imposed additional sanctions against individuals and organizations associated with the Syrian government.
*Daesh is a terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries.
