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Middle East and North Africa

Russia to provide ships to escort vessels with Syrian chemical weapons

FM: some of the EU countries are ready to provide such ships; Russia will be prepared to provide Russian escort Navy ships

Norwegian escort frigate AP Photo/Pavlos Vrionides

Norwegian escort frigate

© AP Photo/Pavlos Vrionides

BRUSSELS, December 16. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia will provide warships to escort vessels carrying Syrian chemical weapons, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after a meeting with his EU colleagues in Brussels on Monday, December 16.

“Practical steps are under discussion now to bring all of Syria’s toxic agents to one place. The Russian Federation will provide necessary means of transportation to solve this task.”

“These toxic agents have to be properly packed and then loaded aboard ships. Some of the EU countries are ready to provide such ships. We will be prepared to provide Russian Navy ships to escort those vessels with chemical substances in order to ensure the security of this operation,” the minister said.

“After that, the toxic agents will be transferred to the ship the United States is outfitting now where the bulk of the work will be done to destroy these chemical substances. This will be done in strict and full compliance with all environmental requirements,” Lavrov said.

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Middle East and North Africa

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