Moscow will continue supporting Syrian government: Poll

A new survey shows that most Russians believe that Moscow will continue to support the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad despite the Western efforts to undermine Damascus.

Eighty seven percent of the respondents to the poll conducted by Ria Novosti between March 26 and 28, said they believed that their country will not stop supporting Damascus, while 11 percent voiced the opposite opinion. Two percent said they had no idea.

The poll also revealed that 53 percent of the respondents approved of the continuation of Russia’s support for Assad, compared to a figure of 46 percent who expressed opposition to such support.

Russia, along with China, has blocked two UN Security Council resolutions against the Syrian government.

Moscow has repeatedly said it is against any foreign military interference in Syria and that the Syrian unrest must be resolved through dialogue.

Meanwhile, Russia has boycotted a meeting of anti-Syrian countries in Paris, the so-called ‘Friend of Syria’ conference, arguing that the meeting will damage chances for peace.

“It seems that this meeting is not aimed at finding the grounds for dialogue within Syria, but quite the opposite,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Syria is experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011. Many people, including security forces, have been killed in the turmoil.

Earlier in March, Syrian President Assad reiterated his government’s support for a peace plan proposed by the joint United Nations (UN) and Arab League special envoy, Kofi Annan, saying Damascus will make every effort to ensure its success.