US only wants others to ‘sing along and say yes’ on Syria, says senior Russian diplomat

Russian Politics & Diplomacy May 17, 2018, 16:47

The United States is unwilling to tolerate alternative views, according to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov

MOSCOW, May 17. /TASS/. The United States likes when others sing along, particularly as far as the Syria issue goes, which only makes the situation worse, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday in response to a TASS question.

"We are not curtailing dialogue [with the US on Syria]," he said. "It still is rather intense but we have taken note of the United States’ absence from the ninth round of the Astana talks," the senior Russian diplomat added.

According to Ryabkov, "the US has been showing readiness to deal only with platforms where it dominates and take part in the same kind of events."

"Syria is no exception, the United States is unwilling to tolerate alternative views, it only likes when others sing along and say yes, pointing out the best ways to implement US plans," he noted. "This situation is not normal, it raises internal tensions in the global system, negatively affecting joint efforts to resolve issues that can’t be solved through private gatherings where everyone agrees with each other beforehand. In such case, why do political and diplomatic work?" Ryabkov said.

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