Lavrov evaluated the activities of Russian diplomacy in 2024 at the press conference he held in the capital Moscow.
Referring to the situation in Syria, Lavrov said, “We are not leaving the Middle East. Some events took place in Syria. The reason for this is the braking of the political process in 10 years. There was a desire not to change anything.” he said.
Lavrov explained that this was not true and that they encouraged the former Syrian administration to restart the work of the Constitutional Committee and said, “The Damascus administration did not want the committee to work and reach some agreements. An agreement could have been reached on power sharing. They did not want the power to be shared with non-terrorist opposition forces. There was a slowdown in the political process.” “However, social problems began to occur and the situation worsened. US sanctions strangled Syria’s economy.” he said.
“ESTABLISHING A BRIDGE WITH DAMASCUS” PROPOSAL
Stating that the USA occupied the lands in eastern Syria, Lavrov said, “There are oil fields in this region. The resources obtained in this region are used to support the separatist elements in the north-east of Syria.” he said.
Lavrov reminded that they made an offer to the Kurds in Syria about “building a bridge with Damascus” and said:
“They did not want this. They were saying that the Americans would be there and establish a semi-state. We always tried to tell them this: Turkey and Iraq will not allow the establishment of a Kurdish state. We took an approach in favor of the consultation and protection of the rights of the Kurds in Syria, Iraq, Iran and Turkey. “On the one hand, Damascus and on the other hand, the Kurds did not want to negotiate.”
Pointing out that the interaction between the platforms regarding the Syrian issue was weak, Lavorv said, “Thus, a gap was created and an explosion occurred. The facts must be accepted.” he commented.
Stating that the Russian Embassy in Damascus continues its activities and contacts with the new administration of Syria, Lavrov said, “We want to be useful in the initiatives to improve the situation in Syria. For this, we will engage in comprehensive dialogue with the participation of all political, ethnic, religious forces in Syria and all foreign powers.” “There is a need. I met with colleagues from Turkey and the Gulf countries. They are open to including Russia, China and Iran in this process.” made his assessment.
Lavrov stated that the Astana Format could play a role in this issue and said, “If someone wants to start a truly sustainable result-oriented process instead of settling scores with their rivals on Syrian territory, we are ready to discuss this.” he said.
What do you think Russia’s attitude towards Syria should be?
“USA IS TRYING TO DISABLE TURKAKIM”
Reminding that Ukraine attempted to attack the compressor station in the Krasnodar region, which supplies natural gas to the TurkStream pipeline, with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), Lavrov stated that the USA was trying to disable TurkStream.
Lavrov said, “The USA does not want competitors in any field, especially in energy. The USA allows terrorist acts that will destroy the foundations of the prosperity of the European Union (EU) in the field of energy, and encourages the administration in Ukraine to disable TurkStream after Nord Stream.” “does.” he said.
Minister Lavrov stated that the USA and its allies have given up on fair competition and are pursuing a policy of suppressing their rivals with aggressive methods.
“UNSC NEEDS TO BE REFORMED”
Evaluating the structure of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Lavrov said, “The UNSC needs to be reformed. Because countries with special responsibilities in the global economy, finance, politics and military fields are not represented in the UNSC.” made his determination.
Lavrov stated that India and Brazil deserve to be represented in the UNSC according to all criteria and said, “6 out of 15 seats in the UNSC belong to the West. This is not right. Enough is enough. The number of developing countries needs to be increased.” he said.
“THERE WAS NO REQUEST FROM THE USA TO MEET WITH PUTIN”
Evaluating US President-elect Donald Trump’s statement that he was ready to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and that preparations were being made for this, Lavrov noted that Putin had repeatedly expressed his readiness for the meeting, that there was no request on this issue yet and that they were waiting for concrete initiatives.
Lavrov explained that they expect Trump to clarify his approach to Ukraine after taking office.
Minister Lavrov said that the Joe Biden administration in the USA is trying to leave a “bad legacy” for Donald Trump, who is preparing to take over the presidency.
“BLACK BOXES REQUIRE EXTENSIVE INVESTIGATION”
Touching on the issue of the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) passenger plane near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, as a result of being damaged by fire opened in Russian airspace on December 25, 2024, Lavrov pointed out that the plane’s black boxes were sent to Brazil to be solved.
Lavrov said, “A special meeting was held in Brazil within the scope of the investigation. The black boxes were opened and their contents provided enough interesting information. This content shows that a comprehensive investigation should be carried out. There is no need to create tension in the media by using information that the black boxes do not largely confirm.” he said.
Answering the question “Whether Armenia’s rapprochement with the West will affect the security in the region?” Lavrov said:
“I do not see anything bad in Armenia maintaining its contacts with Western and EU countries. However, countries that are far from our lands, traditions and non-colonial understanding of history are making statements that the EU mission will ensure security in the Sunik region. I do not understand this very much. Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran says that regional countries must solve their problems with neighboring countries. “We will inevitably come to this point.”
Stating that it is not possible for Armenia to become a member of both the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the EU, Lavrov said, “Because these are two different free trade and two different customs areas. They are incompatible with each other.” he said.
Regarding Armenia and the USA signing a strategic partnership agreement, Lavrov said that this was the sovereign decision of the two countries.
Noting that Armenia did not attend the meetings of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), of which it is a member, Lavrov stated that relations with Yerevan at the official level are not simple.
Minister Lavrov shared the information that Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan will visit Moscow soon.
Evaluating the 3+3 South Caucasus Regional Cooperation Platform, Lavrov pointed out that a place was reserved for Georgia on this platform and said, “Georgia has not yet sat in the reserved seat. However, this seat at the table where we come together to discuss the problems of the region is always accessible for Georgia.” .” he said.
Lavrov stated that a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement between Russia and Iran will be signed during Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian’s visit to Russia on January 17.
Noting that this agreement aims to strengthen bilateral relations in various fields, Lavrov said that it is not against other countries.
Evaluating NATO’s approach towards the Eurasian region, Lavrov said, “NATO wants Eurasia to be part of the European-Atlantic security structure. This does not comply with the principle of indivisibility of security put forward by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 1999.” he said. (AA)