Putin’s Envoy Tells Assad Russia Supports ‘Recapturing All Syrian Territories’

Arab World

December 3rd, 7:41am

Damascus, Qamishli, London - Asharq Al-Awsat

Russia's special envoy on Syria Alexander Lavrentiev attends a meeting during consultations on Syria at the European headquarters of the UN in Geneva, Switzerland September 11, 2018. (Reuters)

Syrian regime leader Bashar Assad and Russia’s special envoy for Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev stressed on Monday their support for the need for Damascus to regain control over the entire northeastern region with the border with Turkey. The announcement came following an agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces and Russia to deploy Syrian regime forces in the northeast of the country, to replace Turkish-backed factions. In a statement Monday, the Syrian presidency said that Assad met in Damascus with Lavrentiev and Russia’s deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin. During the meeting, Assad agreed to “continue the fight against terrorism” so that Idlib would not become “a permanent haven for terrorists.” The two sides discussed the situation in Syria, particularly in Idlib, in addition to the repeated attacks launched by terrorist organizations against nearby residential areas. They underline the joint Syrian-Russian stances to fight terrorism and prevent terrorist groups from continuing to use Idlib residents as human shields and turn the area into a permanent terrorist haven. Both Assad and Lavrentiev also confirmed the readiness of Syria to control the entire territories and villages and the return of state institutions to restore stability and security for Idlib residents. The two men discussed the political process in Syria and preparations for the next round of the Astana talks. “Both countries should pursue dialogue and coordination to confront the attempts of some states to interfere in Syria’s political operation and to prevent it from achieving its main goals: Realize the people’s interest in preserving the stability of Syria and the unity and independence of its territories,” the statement said.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2018801/putin%E2%80%99s-envoy-tells-assad-russia-supports-%E2%80%98recapturing-all-syrian-territories%E2%80%99