FM Sergey Lavrov on Russian arms supplies for Syria
During the press briefing on 9 June 2012, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov answered the following question: "The theme of Russian weapons in Syria is being increasingly directly or indirectly exploited in the Western media and expert circles. It is constantly mentioned in numerous publications, such as the British, creating the impression that it was the Russian weapons that allegedly killed civilian Syrian citizens.
Could you give the arguments that would stop or at least minimize speculation on this subject?"
FM Sergey Lavrov: Or disprove this lie.
Russia is not supplying the Syrian government with arms that even an overwrought imagination could suppose are being used against peaceful protesters. We are completing the implementation of contracts signed and pre-paid long ago on deliveries of air defense weapons that could be used only if Syria is subjected to military intervention from abroad. We are not delivering anything else. When the unrest started in Syria, we took a special decision, that in the case of appeals we will not export any small arms or anything that can be somehow used in the suppression of domestic unrest.
In some Gulf countries our American colleagues delivered weapons, which precisely could be applied against peaceful demonstrators. Another similar contract was signed recently.
As you may remember, during the Libyan conflict an arms embargo was declared. So what? Nobody was selling anything to the government in Tripoli, and the opposition just was "pumped" with weaponry, and on Libyan soil special forces from Europe worked with the rebels.
This is another example that you have to be honest. It will be useful in the future.
Question (addressed to US Secretary of State John Kerry and Sergey Lavrov): After your recent discussions, including on Syria and the episode of detention of a US Embassy official in Moscow on a charge of espionage, do you think that your collective work is constructive? Sergey Lavrov (answers after John Kerry): Regarding the incident of the detention of a US Embassy official in Moscow that you have mentioned, everything, that the Russian party wished to say about it, was said yesterday in the comment of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. I have nothing to add.
Dear Mr Chairman,Dear colleagues, friends, First of all, I would like to thank our Swedish hosts for their hospitality, good organization of the today’s meeting and to congratulate Mr Carl Bildt with the results that were reached by the Arctic Council under Swedish chairmanship.
Today we sign the second in history legally binding panarctic document – Agreement on Cooperation on Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response in the Arctic. This is another evidence of high responsibility of Arctic countries for the state of affairs in the region. The next is the preparation of the Agreement on Marine Oil Spill Prevention.
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