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Post-Soviet security bloc ready to organize humanitarian mission in Syria – Lavrov

Accroding to Russian Foreign Minister, Moscow is discussing this with partners from Kazakhstan and other CSTO nations

MOSCOW, December 9. /TASS/. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is ready to organize a humanitarian mission in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Kazakhstan’s Khabar news agency on Sunday.

“As far as I’m concerned, it is an objective fact that some of our allies, including Kazakhstan and Armenia, are taking part both in peacekeeping missions that are not sanctioned by the United Nations (say, in Afghanistan) and in full-fleged United Nations missions (for instance in Kosovo), but take no part in the efforts towards stabilizing the situation in Syria,” he said. “In Afghanistan, it is a NATO operation. In Syria, we are ready to organize a CSTO humanitarian mission. The first steps in this direction are being made.”

“Not long ago, we worked out a joint operation with our Armenian colleagues to deliver Armenian humanitarian assistance to Syria using Russian planes. I am convinced that Kazakhstan is also interested in participating in such humanitarian initiatives,” Lavrov noted. “We are discussing it with our partners from Kazakhstan and other CSTO nations.”

“I don’t see why the CSTO flag should not be hoisted at command centers along with the national flags of those military forces, observers or police from the CSTO countries participating in a given peacekeeping operation,” he said. “I am confident there is nothing to be ashamed of about that; we always do our best to help the United Nations peacekeeping efforts.”

“When we team up to resolve humanitarian problems not only around us, but also to help use our humanitarian possibilities in order to ease tensions in other parts of the world, I think our general authority, the reputation of our organization and each of its members will only expand,” he stressed.