Syria-Russia ties: No support for any specific regime – including Assad’s

Russian consul general says country’s ‘soft power’ foreign policy to not interfere in other state’s internal affairs.

KARACHI:

As violence continued across the Turkey-Syria borders on Thursday, Russian Consul General Andrey Demidov told the media that the shelling was “unfortunate” and that Russia has urged both sides to show restraint.

Accompanied by the Russian public relations officer in Karachi, Faizullah, Demidov asserted that Russia’s role was to encourage a political dialogue between the Syrian government and its opposition, and to oppose any foreign military intervention in the country.

“We do not support any specific regime in Syria, including Bashar al Assad’s,” said Demidov. “But we will also not support the hostilities that our Western partners want to unleash through foreign participation.”

When asked about the role Russia wants to play in bringing peace to Syria, the diplomat said that according to the country’s ‘Soft Power’ foreign policy, they must refrain from meddling in another country’s internal affairs.

“If the Syrians want to break their country into pieces that is their call. But we, or no third party, has a right to impose our decisions on them,” Demidov said.

To bring the problems of the Syrians to the table, he added that the country’s political parties need to first negotiate among themselves.  “Foreign intervention could escalate the conflict – Syria’s civil war has already exacerbated sectarian strife in Lebanon and Iraq,” Demidov asserted, adding that the Russians “have blocked the militant draft resolutions in the UN Security Council so that this does not happen.”

Supplying arms

Regarding the apparent ‘propaganda’ that Russia is supplying weapons to the Syrian government, Demidov retorted that western nations were actually providing weapons to the Free Syria Army, the main armed opposition in the country.

“Our previous agreement with Syria for military supplies was to assist them in fighting Israeli aggression. Shall we give up such assistance?”

End to sanctions

Referring to the unilateral sanctions adopted by Nato and the European Union (EU), he said that Russia does not accept them and calls for the sanctions to be lifted.

Nato held an emergency meeting on Wednesday night to discuss the crisis, urging the Syrian regime to put an end to “flagrant violations of international law.”

Condemning Qaddafi’s death

Referring to Libya and the death of Col Muammar Qaddafi, Demidov said that it was “disgusting how certain political figures publicly rejoiced.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5^th, 2012.