- Title: Russia's Lavrov meets Syrian counterpart Mekdad in Moscow
- Date: 23rd August 2022
- Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (AUGUST 23, 2022) (REUTERS) MEMBERS OF RUSSIAN AND SYRIAN DELEGATIONS SITTING DOWN FOR TALKS LAVROV LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, SERGEI LAVROV SAYING: "The situation in the world is becoming more and more tense and complicated as a result of the course of the West, led by the United States, towards the establishment of a unipolar world order." SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER FAISAL MEKDAD LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, SERGEI LAVROV SAYING: "This aggressive and essentially neo-colonial course is manifesting itself in the region of the Middle East and North Africa, and in the situation in Ukraine and around it, and in general in the post-Soviet space." MEMBERS OF RUSSIAN DELEGATION (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, SERGEI LAVROV SAYING: "And in this situation, both the Syrian Arab Republic and the Russian Federation belong to a group of countries that consistently stand up for international law, for respect for the principles of the UN Charter, primarily the principle of the sovereign equality of states, for the establishment of justice in international relations, for the principle of equal, indivisible security for everyone." RUSSIAN AND SYRIAN DELEGATIONS (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, SERGEI LAVROV SAYING: "As another confirmation of our adherence to the principles I mentioned, the Syrian Arab Republic shows solidarity with Russia in connection with our special military operation (in Ukraine). We appreciated the recognition in June of this year by Damascus of the independence of the sovereignty of the (self-proclaimed) Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic." RUSSIAN AND SYRIAN DELEGATIONS MEKDAD LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, FAISAL MEKDAD, SAYING: (OFFICIAL TRANSLATION) "Today we stand side by side with the Russian Federation in its just, necessary war, a fight against the forces of neo-Nazism, because it threatens all of humanity." MEMBERS OF SYRIAN DELEGATION (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, FAISAL MEKDAD, SAYING: (OFFICIAL TRANSLATION) "We hope that, in the coming days or weeks, the forces of the Russian Federation will eventually complete the tasks assigned by His Excellency (Russian President) Vladimir Putin, and we are confident that these tasks will eventually be completed." RUSSIAN AND SYRIAN DELEGATIONS
- Embargoed: 6th September 2022 11:42
- Keywords: Faisal Mekdad Russia Sergei Lavrov Syria Ukraine
- Location: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
- City: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
- Country: Russia
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Europe
- Reuters ID: LVA001008723082022RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday (August 23) met with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad for talks in Moscow.
The ministry said earlier that the delegations will have a detailed exchange of views on topical issues of the international and regional agenda.
In opening comments ahead of main talks, Lavrov thanked Syria for its recognition of Ukraine's breakaway Luhansk and Donetsk "people's republics".
Syria and North Korea are the only UN member states to have recognised the self-proclaimed people's republics in Eastern Ukraine, along with Russia.
Lavrov said Syria and Russia represented a group that "consistently stood up for international law... for the establishment of justice in international relations, for the principle of equal, indivisible security for everyone."
Mekdad said Moscow's sending troops into Ukraine - which Russia calls a "special military operation" - was a "just, necessary war", and said he hoped Russian forces would "complete the tasks" assigned by Russian President Vladimir Putin in the coming days and weeks. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2022. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None