War in Syria: Lavrov calls for dialogue after Syria talks in Doha

After talks with his colleagues from Turkey and Iran about the situation in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for an end to hostilities in the civil war country. All three countries now want to take steps to bring about an end to the fighting and a dialogue between the leadership of ruler Bashar al-Assad and the legitimate opposition, Lavrov said at a political forum in Doha. He also met the UN special envoy Geir Pedersen there.

Russia will continue to provide military support to Assad and help normalize the situation, Lavrov said. Steps are now being explored as to how the situation on the Turkish-Syrian border can be calmed without endangering the country’s territorial integrity. Turkey is concerned with the security of its border region, said Lavrov. Russia wants to help normalize relations between Syria and Turkey.

Moscow does not make any forecasts about Syria

In an interview at the forum in Doha, Lavrov said that he could not make any predictions about the further development of the situation. “I’m not in the business of guessing,” he said. At the same time, he emphasized that Russia would continue its support for Assad. “We are doing everything we can to ensure that the terrorists do not succeed – even if they say that they are no longer terrorists.”

Lavrov also dismissed reports that Russian warships may have left their naval base in the Syrian Mediterranean port of Tartus. “The Navy is conducting a maneuver in the Mediterranean, and their satellite images may have confused them with someone,” Lavrov said. When asked by the moderator whether the call for Russian citizens to leave Syria and the withdrawal of embassy staff were signals that Moscow was abandoning Assad, Lavrov replied that these measures were diplomatic practice.

Russia has been conducting the military operation in Syria since September 2015. In addition to the naval base, Moscow also has an air base in the country. The Russian Air Force had recently significantly increased its strikes against the rebels together with Syrian aircraft.