ABU DHABI, October 15. /TASS/. Russia hopes that US troops will eventually leave Syria. However, it is difficult to say now whether this will happen, Russian Special Presidential Envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev told reporters.
"We all hope that US troops will leave Syria sooner or later," he said. "However, it is hard to say now what the end result will be despite [US President Donald] Trump’s statement that troops should be withdrawn within two weeks." Lavrentyev recalled that Washington made similar statements about troop pullout earlier, but that did not happen.
"Nevertheless, there is a glimmer of hope that US troops will eventually leave Syria," Lavrentyev said, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin likewise highlighted the need for withdrawing US troops from Syria. "That, of course, makes the situation in northeastern Syria somewhat different," he added.
Possibility of Turkey-Syria confrontation
A military confrontation between Turkey and Syria is in no one’s interest, it would be unacceptable, Alexander Lavrentyev told reporters on Tuesday.
"I think that it’s not just that no one is interested in confrontation [between Turkey and Syria], it’s that it is simply unacceptable," he noted. "This is why we will not let this happen, of course."
Lavrentyev added that Ankara and Damascus maintain constant dialogue "between defense ministries, foreign ministries, special services — the talks are ongoing as we speak."