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Middle East and North Africa

Full scale evacuation of Russians from Syria not planned

The Russian Embassy in Damascus continues to work in the usual mode

Photo ITAR-TASS

Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, January 22 (Itar-Tass) — A full-scale evacuation of Russian citizens from Syria is not planned, Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Denisov told Itar-Tass on Tuesday.

“Two Russian emergency airplanes were dispatched with the relief supplies. The humanitarian aid includes the foodstuffs and medicines delivered after the official Syrian request,” the diplomat explained.

“Since the airplanes arrived in the country, there are some people who wish to leave it with their children. We are ready to evacuate them,” Denisov confirmed.

The Russian Embassy in Syria continues to work in the usual mode.

“We closed the Russian General Consulate in Aleppo, because the hostilities continue there, and the Russian diplomatic mission can hardly fulfil its functions,” the diplomat said.

Meanwhile, “there was no direct threat to security there,” Denisov noted. “However, we decided to move it (the General Consulate) to the city Damascus,” the Russian first deputy foreign minister remarked.

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