Russia calls on the Western countries that have their military in Syria to focus on the fight against terrorists, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.
“There is a special ops unit of some Western countries there and Turkey’s armed forces in Syria, and certainly the US-led coalition,” Lavrov said.
“If these forces are used to combat terrorism, the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra (terrorist groups, outlawed in Russia), I think the result could be achieved rather quickly and be positive,” he said.
“Let us not forget about the political process. We are actively promoting the need to begin work on the constitution at an early date,” he said. “You mentioned the so-called High Negotiations Committee. They do not want to do that.”
“There is hard work to be done, but those who directly influence the High Negotiations Committee and provide financial assistance to it, should understand that if they continue to be led by the opposition members whose position is destructive, it will do them no credit,” the Russian top diplomat stressed.
“They (the HNC) still refuse to accept what the UN offered in Geneva, namely, to start working simultaneously on the issues of governance at this stage, the issues of drafting a new constitution, preparations for elections and the fight against terrorism,” Lavrov noted. “They reject everything and are only willing to discuss the issue of overthrowing (Syrian President) Bashar al-Assad.”
“The work that lies ahead is not going to be easy. However, those who directly influence and finance this High Negotiations Committee should give a thought to the fact that continuing to connive with these opposition members taking a destructive stance is just unworthy.”