LONDON, February 28. /TASS/. The fight against terrorists in Syria will continue despite external players’ attempts to use them to overthrow the Damascus government, Russian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Alexander Yakovenko said at a meeting with Minister of State for Europe and the Americas at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office Alan Duncan, according to a statement issued by the Russian embassy.
"The discussion was focused on the situation in Syria and, in particular, the implementation of the recently adopted UN Security Council Resolution 2401," the statement reads. "It was stressed that the resolution 2401 does not apply to military operations against ISIS, Jabhat al-Nusra, Al-Qaeda, and other affiliated terrorist groups." "This fight will continue, despite attempts of certain external players to use terrorists and the opposition militants collaborating with them to implement their plans to overthrow the legitimate Syrian authorities and divide the country. It was agreed to continue the exchange of views on this issue," the Russian embassy added.
Not only Eastern Ghouta
The Russian embassy also said that "Ambassador Yakovenko drew the Minister’s attention to Russia’s statement regarding daily humanitarian pauses in Eastern Ghouta and expressed categorical disagreement with Foreign Secretary Johnson’s recent attempts to put all the responsibility for the humanitarian situation in this area on Russia." "The Ambassador pointed to Russia's active efforts to put in place a ceasefire in Eastern Ghouta, which have been rejected by the armed groups. Moreover, the latter refused to release civilians from the area under their control, using them as a human shield and hampering the work of humanitarian corridors. He urged the British side to influence the armed groups so that they cease their terrorist and combat activities in the interest of the fast and safe passage of humanitarian convoys," the statement adds.
According to the document, "the Ambassador highlighted the fact that humanitarian problems exist not only in Eastern Ghouta and Idlib but also in other regions of Syria. He urged to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to Al-Tanf, the Rukban refugee camp and Raqqa. Aid must be provided in an impartial way and must not depend on reaching certain political goals."
Ukrainian issue
The Russian embassy pointed out that "Ambassador Yakovenko took this opportunity to raise the issue of the situation in Ukraine in the view of the Ukrainian nationalists’ attacks on February 17 and 18 on Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Kiev. He urged the UK Government to publicly condemn this manifestation of neo-Nazi aggressive nationalism that is supported by Ukrainian authorities. Absence of the Foreign Office’s reaction to this sends a wrong signal to Kiev."
"The Ambassador also drew the attention to the entering into force of the so-called ‘Donbass Reintegration’ law. By adopting this law, Kiev has finally confirmed its policy aimed at resolving the conflict in southeastern Ukraine by force and undermining the Minsk agreements. Western states, including the UK, should use all their influence on the Ukrainian authorities to prevent the implementation of this law, which threatens to aggravate tensions in southeastern Ukraine," the Russian embassy’s statement added.