FM Lavrov on contacts with Syrian opposition and Geneva conference
A meeting in Moscow with Syrian opposition was scheduled for this week. But at the request of the representatives of the relevant Syrian opposition group, it was carried over to next week. We are using the regular contacts to promote termination of the violence and starting inter-Syrian dialogue between the government and all groups of Syrian opposition, as provided in the Kofi Annan plan, and supported by the UN Security Council and the international community as a whole.
In the interest of speedy implementation of the Annan plan, we took the initiative to convene in Geneva on June 30 an international conference held with the participation of foreign ministers - the leading foreign players, as well as leaders of the United Nations, the League of Arab States and the European Union. We felt that the consensus reached in Geneva, and embodied in the final communique, was an important step in consolidating the position of all members of the international community, above all, the participants of this conference and Syrian sides, the positions of peace and the rejection of attempts to solve this situation by military means to whoever it was part.
Unfortunately, some members of the Syrian opposition claim that the decisions made in Geneva are unacceptable for them. meanwhile, some Western members of the Geneva meeting in his public statements distort the agreements reached.
The Geneva agreement needs no additional interpretation as it means exactly what is written in the communique. The agreements reached should be followed. We believe that our position in this respect is honest. We do not try to retroactively portray as though the communique is more than what is written in the text.
Today, it is important not to be engaged in such distorted interpretation, but to undertake a coordinated pressure by foreign players on all the Syrian sides with one sole purpose - to get them to stop violence and sit down at the negotiating table. We are confident that Geneva makes this a good chance.
We have consistently advocated for the unification of all the Syrian opposition on a platform of openness to dialogue with the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic, as provided in the Kofi Annan plan. In this context, our participation in the meeting in Cairo these days, whose efforts are aimed at the unity of the Syrian opposition, is logical. Russia's Ambassador to Egypt is taking part in it.
At the meeting the Russian Ambassador in Cairo advocates to encourage the Syrian opposition to form a unified approach to a peaceful settlement and to agree who will represent it in negotiations with the Syrian government.
With regard to the forthcoming meeting of the so-called "Group of Friends of Syria" on July 6 in Paris, its purpose is different than unifying all opposition on a constructive basis. This group of "friends", in fact, was originally designed to support only one, foreign and not domestic, Syrian opposition group. We have to honestly state the reason why we cannot accede to this mechanism, the name of which bears internal contradiction between word and deed.
I think that after the start of the Geneva process, June 30, when it created an "action group" on Syria, there is no need for other forums in which, as in Paris, almost one hundred and fifty states will be involved. It is clear that no serious talk is possible about ways to address in this format. Apparently, it will be about how to mobilize collective support for the goals that were originally set for this "group of friends". As I said, we cannot share these goals, because they are aimed at forcing a confrontation, not to create conditions for dialogue without outside interference.
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, Today the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin had a conversation with Secretary General of the Council of Europe T.Jagland, but I had detailed negotiations with the Secretary General. We discussed the whole spectrum of issues topical for the Council of Europe at the modern stage.
Vladimir Putin met with Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland, who is in Russia on a working visit. The meeting discussed current issues concerning Russia’s relations with the Council of Europe.
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, We have completed the main part of our negotiations with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. He will have a meeting with the President of Russia in a few hours. As always, our conversation was very substantial and honest. We are sincerely interested in the consolidation of the role of the UN. This is one of the main tasks in the Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation approved by the President Vladimir Putin on 12 February 2013.
Question: I would like to start our conversation from your last international contacts and, first of all, from your meeting with US Secretary of State in Moscow on 7 May. The day after he left Moscow, John Kerry made a statement in Rome that there is no place for President Bashar al-Assad in the new transitional government. There were also statements that the White House had not made its final decision about armament of the opposition and is waiting for the results of the investigation of the use of chemical weapons in SAR to make this decision. We know about the agreements reached between Russia and the USA in Moscow, however, we would still like to understand why we have heard other statements, which do not fit within the framework of the agreements reached the day before, as soon as the US Secretary of State left Moscow.
Question: The “Partnership for Modernisation” program is a significant element of the Russian-German dialog. What else would you like to decide within the framework of this format? How do you see next stages of its implementation? Sergey Lavrov: First of all, I would like that governments do not interfere with the cooperation of companies dealing with innovations and their industrial deployment within the framework of “Partnership for Modernisation”. Governments should know how this happens, to create a legal framework, a maximally comfortable regime for such cooperation, while professionals should decide each in its sphere. The more contacts we have within the framework of “Partnership for Modernisation”, the more weighty results we achieve in the form of final products, workplaces, additional profits of companies in Russia and Germany. I think that we share these interests, especially on the background of the most magnificent events in the world and European economy.
Dear Mr Minister, dear Guido, Dear Dr von Studnitz, Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, friends, First of all, I would like to join the welcome words addressed to participants of the ceremonial meeting and to congratulate with an anniversary – 20 years of the German-Russian Forum, to wish its leaders, all employees and members success in their further work for the benefit of peoples of our countries.
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.
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