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US seeks to create 'Free Syria Army' of terrorists, sic it against Damascus — Lavrov

The top diplomat emphasized that the Russian and Syrian militaries had recently discussed the issue, agreeing on a model of joint actions in that field

MOSCOW, May 10. /TASS/. The United States has set about creating a "Free Syria Army," consisting of terrorists and militants, to serve as a tool against the legitimate government in Damascus, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday.

"It’s no longer enough for the US to support the self-proclaimed Kurdish regions beyond the Euphrates River and flood the illegal armed units that they have formed with weapons," the Russian foreign minister pointed out during four-party talks on Syria with his counterparts from Syria, Turkey and Iran.

"According to our data, the Americans have started to create the so-called Free Syria Army near the Syrian city of Raqqa, engaging local Arab tribes, along with militants from ISIL (the former name of the Islamic State terror group, which is outlawed in Russia - TASS) and other terrorist organizations. The goal is clear: to use these militants against Syria’s legitimate authorities in order to destabilize the situation in the country," Lavrov noted.

Lavrov emphasized that the Russian and Syrian militaries had recently discussed the issue, agreeing on a model of joint actions in that field. "I hope that all planned steps will be successfully implemented," the top Russian diplomat added.

According to him, Moscow believes that "blatant foreign interference in the region’s affairs is unacceptable, particularly when it involves military force;" and in this case, it is about "deploying foreign military units to Syrian soil."

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Foreign policy Sergey Lavrov Syria United States

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