Russia reaffirms commitment to Syria's sovereignty, territorial integrity

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia's foreign minister on Saturday reiterated Russia's commitment to Syria's territorial integrity and sovereignty during a meeting with his Turkish and Iranian counterparts, hours before the collapse of Syria’s Baath rulers, with the capital Damascus falling to anti-regime forces.

"We strongly reiterated the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and unity of the Syrian Arab Republic. We called for an immediate end to hostile activities. We stated, all of us, that we want (UN Security Council) Resolution 2254 to be fully implemented and for this purpose called for dialogue between the government and legitimate opposition, as provided in that resolution," said Sergey Lavrov, according to a Russian Foreign Ministry statement.

At the 22nd Doha Forum in Qatar, Lavrov criticized the actions of the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, one of the main movers in Syria in recent weeks, saying it was unacceptable for the group to seize territories by violating existing agreements, especially Resolution 2254, which reaffirms Syria's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unity.

Early Sunday, after Lavrov’s meeting with his Turkish and Iranian counterparts, the capital Damascus fell under the control of anti-regime forces, ending 61 years of Baath Party rule. The whereabouts of Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s deposed ruler, are unknown.

Referring to the Astana format, in which Türkiye, Russia, and Iran have worked together for a path forward for Syria, Lavrov said: "If we speak about Hayat Tahrir al-Sham specifically, in 2018 and 2020 in the framework of the Astana format, two agreements were signed clearly solidifying the common resolve not to allow Hayat Tahrir al-Sham to rule in Idlib ... And these agreements have not been implemented. And now they are being grossly violated.”

Lavrov also held the US accountable for the ongoing events in the Middle East, accusing Washington of trying to strengthen its hand in the region.

"We are absolutely convinced of the inadmissibility to use terrorists like Hayat Tahrir al-Sham to achieve geopolitical purposes, as it is being done now with the organization of this offensive from the Idlib de-escalation area," he added, referring to a city in northwestern Syria, near the Turkish border.

Lavrov highlighted that Russian Air Force units stationed at Russia’s Khmeimim Airbase in Syria’s coastal Latakia province continue to support the Syrian army.

On claims of Russian ships leaving Syria’s port of Tartus, Lavrov said: "There is a naval exercise in the Mediterranean. Maybe your satellite images took this for something different."

- Russia, Türkiye, and Iran to continue coordinating on Syria

Stating that Moscow, Ankara, and Tehran all reaffirmed their commitment to Syria's territorial integrity and sovereignty, Lavrov said that they call for an immediate halt to the conflict and the initiation of dialogue between the Syrian government and legitimate opposition forces.

Stressing the need for implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2254, they reiterated that Russia, Türkiye, and Iran will continue to take steps on the issues on Syria where they have reached agreement, he said.

On Ankara’s role in Syria, Lavrov said: "They are a very influential actor in Syria. They are concerned with the security of their border with Syria.

"We discussed it in the Astana format and in the context of Astana plus Syria discussions on normalizing relations between Türkiye and Damascus."

Lavrov also called the improvement of relations between Türkiye and Syria necessary, adding that Russia is ready to do everything it can to support this process.