Today I will Remind Them: Lavrov Calls Trump Out on Complete Syria Policy U-Turn
SCO member states have spoken out against the West's policy on Syria. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov addressed this issue in Beijing today. A meeting between the diplomatic and defense establishments of SCO member states was held there.
Anastasia Sakhovskaya reports from Beijing about new challenges and the responses to them from the world's leading organizations.
By targeting Syria with their tomahawk missiles, the US showed their allies that they don't need other sovereign countries and that the US' sole goal isn't peace but military superiority. Washington's words don't match its actions. Sergey Lavrov reminded Trump that he promised to leave Syria.
Sergey Lavrov, Russia's Foreign Minister: "Several countries laid a course to destroy Syria. As I've said before, the US swore to us that their only goal was to banish terrorists from Syria and to defeat the so-called Islamic State. However, the US is actively settling down on the east bank of Euphrates. They don't plan to leave".
France has stated that Syria needs order, but there's an addendum to that: "order that's acceptable to the West." Russia is certain that the only way to restore the war-torn country is to respect its sovereignty and its people's interests. Sergey Lavrov has emphasized that our country is ready for a dialogue with our partners.
However, Moscow is concerned that they refuse to help the territories controlled by Damascus. Syria is definitely the center of the SCO's focus. Three years ago, Syria had applied for the SCO's support, and the application is being processed. The Syrian issue has drawn a lot of attention today. The SCO countries present a united front when it comes to Syria. The aggression against Syria received universal condemnation. All the SCO countries' diplomatic establishments' representatives have signed the resulting document. Sergey Shoygu has also urged the SCO to help Syria to rise again as a sovereign and indivisible country.
Sergey Shoygu, Russia's Minister of Defense: "Washington isn't ready for bilateral cooperation even with its traditional partners. The US shamelessly declares that any international politics and global economic tendencies that they don't like can be corrected by relying on military power. At the same time, they use international terrorists and extremists as they see fit".
Today, SCO member state representatives enacted a 3-year plan to combat terrorism and extremism. This plan, along with other documents, will be presented to the leaders at the June summit for further consideration.
Anastasia Sakhovskaya, Mikhail Artyukhin, Vesti's Beijing Bureau.