Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview with Russian and international news media, Moscow, December 26, 2024

#Syria #MiddleEast

PART 1

❓Question: Moscow also claims to be negotiating with the new forces currently in control in Syria. What is your assessment of these talks? How do you see the future relations between Moscow and Damascus?

Sergey Lavrov: We have never recalled our diplomats from Damascus. Our Embassy continues to operate in Syria, as do many others.

We maintain communication with the new Syrian authorities through our diplomatic mission. We are discussing hands-on issues related to ensuring the safety of Russian citizens and the safe operation of our embassy. We are interested in dialogue on other aspects of our bilateral relations and the regional agenda, and are ready to talk.

As President Vladimir Putin has emphasised, we are open to contacts with all major political groups that are active in Syria. We have been maintaining these contacts for quite some time now. We were in touch with most of them even before the recent events.

I must note that the head of the new Syrian government, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has recently talked to the BBC. In his interview, he described Syria’s ties with Russia as long-standing and strategic. We share that approach. We have much in common with our Syrian friends.

We have made a great contribution to liberating Syria from colonial dependence, and training local personnel. Tens of thousands of Syrians received education at Russian universities. As many as 5,000 Syrian citizens are students here now. We are ready to expand educational cooperation.

I hope that, once the new Syrian government structure stabilises, we will be able to resume economic and investment cooperation with the new leaders where we left off, as we have made certain achievements on that track in the past years.

This is not an easy process. It is a transitional period, which will be followed by elections, as was announced. Substantial preparations should be made, and a framework for the election campaign has to be agreed upon. All leading countries have emphasised the need for this process to be inclusive, meaning that all political, ethnic and religious groups in Syria have to be represented.

Again, this is not an easy process, but we are ready to help, including through the UN Security Council and the Astana format, where Russia – along with Turkiye and Iran, and with support from the majority of Arab countries – is ready to play a role in consolidating all processes in Syria and organising the elections so as to ensure that the results are recognised by all and are beyond dispute.

We have discussed this with Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain and Lebanon. Each of these countries has reaffirmed its interest in preventing Syria from repeating the path of the Libyan state after NATO destroyed it – that country still needs to be put back together piece by piece. This has not been very successful so far.

It is important what role Syria’s neighbours will play. We have heard Turkish President Erdogan’s statement. We understand the legitimate concerns of the Turkish leadership and people about security along the border with Syria, where they have seen repeated incidents involving terrorist groups that are causing unrest there.

These legitimate security concerns must be addressed while preserving Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity. Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed the same approach. We support that.