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Conflict in Syria

France expects Russia to cooperate in dismantling Syria's chemical facilities

Emmanuel Macron emphasized the importance of the Syrian chemicals weapons issue at the annual meeting of the country’s ambassadors earlier

© AP Photo/Hassan Ammar

PARIS, August 30. /TASS/. France expects Russia to meaningfully cooperate in dismantling the Syrian chemical facilities and preventing their further use, French Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Agnes Romatet-Espagne said on Wednesday.

"The Syrian chemical weapons issue has been a subject of the ongoing dialogue with Russia," she said. "The [French] minister for Europe and foreign affairs has been discussing it with his Russian counterpart at every opportunity. We rely on Russia’s cooperation in preventing chemical attacks in Syria," Romatet-Espagne added.

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According to her, French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized the importance of the Syrian chemicals weapons issue at the annual meeting of the country’s ambassadors on Tuesday. "The president pointed to the importance of this red line for France," the French Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman said.

In his Tuesday address, Macron pointed out that the Syrian issue had been discussed at his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Versailles. The parties defined the use of chemical weapons as a red line that must not be crossed. "Since our Versailles talks, together with Russia we have managed to reach some specific results on this issue," Macron said.

He added that the Islamic State terror group (outlawed in Russia) was a common enemy. "In light of this, in May we changed our methodology concerning the approach to the situation in Syria and Iraq," the French president said. "In this connection we have been maintaining intense dialogue with Turkey, Iran and Russia," Macron added.

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