LONDON, December 15. /TASS/. Russian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Alexander Yakovenko was summoned to Britain’s Foreign Office on Thursday to be informed about London’s reaction to the humanitarian operation underway in Syria’s Aleppo, the Russian Embassy told TASS.
"Britain’s foreign secretary informed about London’s official reaction to the humanitarian operation which is being successfully carried out in Aleppo," the embassy said. "Thousands of militants with their families are being evacuated from the city with the help of the Russian military and officers of the International Committee of the Red Cross to the territory controlled by illegal armed groups."
"The evacuation we and the United Nations have long been insisting on is meant to avoid unnecessary bloodshed and, what is most important, to save the lives of people living in East Aleppo, to ensure humanitarian access to them," the embassy stressed, adding that the operation is being covered by about 40 news agencies and television channels, including BBC.
The meeting, according to the Russian embassy, was initiated by the British side.
Earlier on Thursday, British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Boris Johnson said he had summoned Russian and Iranian ambassadors over the situation in Syria’s Aleppo. "I have just summoned the ambassadors of Russia and Iran to convey profound disquiet over Aleppo," he wrote on his Twitter account. "Crucial to protect civilians and deliver aid."
According to Johnson, both Russia and Iran have failed to implement their liabilities in conformity with the international humanitarian law as they had offered no assistance in humanitarian deliveries to civilians over the period when Aleppo was besieged.