Lavrov: The Syrians Alone Decide Their Country’s Future

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday stressed the Syrians alone decide their country’s future away from any foreign interference, calling for starting the comprehensive national dialogue without preconditions to find a solution to the crisis in Syria and for an immediate ceasefire by from all the parties under unbiased international supervision, along with the humanitarian aid.

Addressing a Russian Duma session, broadcast by Russia Today TV channel, Lavrov said that Russia is defending the principles of justice and the Syrians’ sovereign right to their democratic option.

By doing so, Lavrov added, Moscow aims at achieving peace in Syria and maintaining its citizens’ lives, preventing conflict and violence in the region and preserving stability and security in the area near Russia’s southern borders.

The Russian Foreign Minister pointed out that Russia will continue work with all the parties, whether the Syrian leadership, the opposition groups, the Arab League, the regional and international players and the Security Council member countries, in order to reach a solution to the crisis.

He called in this context for supporting the mission of the UN Secretary General’s envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan.

“Any international issue demands joint work, and this is what settling the crisis in Syria requires…Everybody should be honest and neutral in that,” said Lavrov.

He underscored that Moscow is in daily contact with the Syrian leadership to ease the situation in the country and draw a unified line to engage all the Syrian parties concerned in settling the crisis, adding that Russia, however, has no power over the armed groups and factions that are fighting the state.

“Unifying our efforts is essential to settle the issues and challenges faced by the international community,” said Lavrov, adding this is why Russia is determined to passing positive international solutions for the preservation of indivisible common security.

He stressed that this principle should be comprehensive in order to build a new security structure in the region.

Lavrov voiced his country’s concern over the developments taking place in the world in terms of the attempts at using force in violation of the international law and the great violations of the Security Council resolutions like what happened in Libya, or through means of force in the cases of Iraq and Afghanistan.

He said that all these experiences indicate that crises in those countries can not be settles by means of force but through adherence to the international law.

He stressed that Russia, based on the UN Charter, will oppose any attempts to blast the main principles of this Charter, that are of non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign countries and the adoption of constructive means to settle international differences and conflicts.

Russia, China Stress Unified Stance towards Syria

Russia and China stressed their unified stance towards the situation in Syria, a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

It added that the Russian President’s Special Envoy for Middle East Affairs, Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, and China’s Ambassador to Russia, Li Hui, stressed that their countries have identical stances with regard to the essential indications of the Syrian internal settlement through internal national dialogue and supporting the efforts of the UN envoy to Syria Kofi Annan.

The Russian Foreign Ministry pointed out that Bogadanov and Hui also discussed the developments in the Middle East and North Africa, with focus placed on the stance towards Syria.

Bogdanov: Resolving Crisis in Syria through political internal dialogue

The Russian President Special representative for the Middle East Affairs, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov today underlined the importance of solving crisis in Syria through internal political dialogue in light of respect for Syria sovereignty.

The Russian foreign Ministry said that Bogdanov, during a meeting with Syria’s Ambassador in Moscow Riad Haddad, referred to Russia’s commitment to the need for halting violence in Syria as soon as possible whatsoever source it was, and for guaranteeing the humanitarian aid for the citizens depending on the UN mechanism.