Lavrov: Russia has used all channels to strongly warn US against strikes in Syria
Moscow has used all channels to strongly warn Washington about a strike on Damascus by the US-led coalition. This was stated on Wednesday by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as reported by news agency TASS.
“Today we discussed, among other problems in Syria, the actions of the U.S., primarily on the eastern bank of the Euphrates and throughout the eastern part of Syria, where the Americans are creating military bases. I am convinced that there is no reason to doubt the intention of at least some of the representatives of the U.S. leadership to gain a foothold there for a long time, if not forever, and contribute to the collapse of Syria,” said the Russian minister. “Different methods are being used to achieve this.”
“Yesterday, we strongly warned the U.S. using all channels. I hope these irresponsible plans will not be realized,” said the Foreign Minister. “But in any case, they (the plans) indicate that the way to creating any pretext for overthrowing the regime remains on the United States’ agenda. It isn’t for no reason that they say that all options remain on the table.”
According to him, such a step would be “a violation of all conceivable norms of international law, UN Security Council Resolution 2254, and the solemn oaths of Washington that it is not trying to undermine the territorial integrity of Syria…This will have to be proved by actions, not words. There are too many cases where the actions haven’t matched the rhetoric.”
On March 12, at a meeting of the UN Security Council, US Ambassador Nikki Haley said that Washington is ready to take new actions in Syria, “if it is necessary.” She mentioned that after the chemical attack in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun on April 4, 2017, the United States struck the Shayrat Airbase – from which, according to Washington, the Syrian troops launched the chemical attack – because the UN Security Council “was unable to take action.”