KHANTY-MANSIYSK, March 23. /TASS/. Terrorists from Syria’s Idlib were transferred to Ukraine, Syrian Ambassador to Moscow Riad Haddad said during a video address to the participants of the Fifth International Youth Scientific and Practical Forum Oil Capital, which is held in Surgut (The Khanty-Mansiysk Region).

"We were not surprised by the fact that they (the West - TASS) moved ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra (outlawed in Russia) terrorists from Idlib, which is controlled by the Turkish occupation forces, and from Camp Al-Tanf, occupied by the United States, to Ukraine to confront the Russian army. This is confirmed by irrefutable evidence that all these organizations, under different names, are tools used by the West in its battles against peaceful peoples," the ambassador said as the forum’s guest participant.

He added that the West attracts mercenaries from all over the world. "And the West is plunging them into its war against Russia and the Russian people, turning Ukraine into a big European Idlib without considering the negative consequences that this policy will have on international peace and security," he added.

The envoy also said that the Syrian Arab Republic is confident that Russia will achieve its goals during the special military operation in Ukraine.

Ambassador Haddad said that stepping up cooperation between Russia and Syria is among both countries’ priorities. "The importance of this cooperation and coordination increases in light of the current global circumstances and the historical events that we are all witnessing in the Russian special military operation in order to preserve its national security, eradicate racism and neo-Nazism in Ukraine, and protect the oppressed people of Donbass. And here I can only congratulate the Russian Federation for this courageous decision, and emphasize the support of Syria and its people for Russia in its endeavors, which we believe will change the course of history and restore the lost balance in the world. This is what President Bashar Assad said during his conversation with President Vladimir Putin in the first days of the special military operation," he noted.

The Oil Capital International Youth Scientific and Practical Forum has been held annually in the Khanty-Mansiysk Region since 2018. Its purpose is to share experiences and develop international relations in the spheres of science, innovation, and industrial education. This year it marks the 110th anniversary of Viktor Muravlenko, an outstanding oilman and statesman. The event is aimed at cultivating applied science in the oil and gas industry and consolidating scientists and specialists of Russia and other countries to support youth science.