MOSCOW, August 16 (Itar-Tass) — Russia remains committed to the Geneva agreements on Syria and does not hamper the resolution of this issue, Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said.
In an exclusive interview with Itar-Tass on Thursday, Gatilov said Russia did not hamper the resolution of the Syrian conflict and rejected any accusations from Western partners.
“Russia does its best to contact with the government and the opposition to convince them to cease violence,” the diplomat said.
To this end, “we consider absolutely unacceptable accusations that Russia would hamper the Syrian settlement and we remain committed to the agreements reached in Geneva”, he said.
At the same time, the deputy foreign minister explained: “We believe that other members of the Action Group should fulfil the obligations under which all Syrian parties should embark on the path to political settlement.”
“Unfortunately, certain our partners work in other direction by stirring the opposition towards continuing the armed fight. For us it is absolutely unclear why the Western delegation blocked Russia’s draft statement, which condemns the terrorist act near the residence site of U.N. observers, in the U.N. Security Council. Does this prove that it encourages the opposition’s terrorist actions? Such approach cannot allow us to start the political process,” Gatilov said.
In addition, the Foreign Ministry reported that the U.N. should stay in Syria.
Commenting on the meeting between Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov and U.S. Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman, the ministry said the diplomats of the two countries “exchanged views on issues related to the latest development of events in Syria, including in the context of discussions on the Syrian crisis in the U.N. Security Council.”
“Russia accentuated on the importance of the U.N. stay in Syria. Russia stressed that the U.N. withdrawal from the country would have serious negative consequences for Syria and the whole region,” the ministry said.
Gatilov said it was necessary for all Syrian parties and external players to strictly comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions and the agreements reached by the Action Group on Syria. “In this context the parties stressed the need to step up the efforts by the Action Group on Syria in order to coordinate joint steps towards launching the Syrian political settlement,” the ministry said.