MOSCOW, December 17. /TASS/. Russia insists that a path to lasting normalization in Syria runs through an inclusive intra-Syrian dialogue, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
"On our part, we believe that a path to a lasting normalization of the situation in Syria is via the launch of an inclusive intra-Syrian dialogue aiming at reaching national accord and promoting a comprehensive political settlement process in conformity with the basic principles committed to paper in United Nations Security Council resolution 2254," it said.
"We have taken note of the statements by the new authorities about their intention to organize the work of government bodies, maintain security, law and order, clamp down on criminal elements, and prevent extrajudicial killings," the ministry said.
The ministry noted that Muslims and Christians have been living side by side in Syria for centuries and Damascus is the residence of Patriarch John X of Antioch, primate of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All The East, which maintains sister ties with the Russian Orthodox Church.
"We hope that Syria will remain home for all of its citizens, regardless of their religions," it emphasized. "It is important for Russia that Syrians decide about their country’s future themselves. We are convinced that relations of friendship and mutual respect that have been built between the peoples of our countries in the previous decades will continue developing constructively."
Armed opposition units in Syria launched a large-scale offensive on government troops in the Aleppo and Idlib governorates in late November. On December 8, they entered Damascus, while President Bashar Assad stepped down and fled the country. On December 10, Mohammed al-Bashir, who had led the so-called Syrian Salvation Government in the Idlib governorate, announced his appointment as head of Syria’s interim government, saying that the transitional period will last until March 1, 2025.