Earlier on Thursday, it was reported by Russian newspaper Kommersant that Moscow supplies Syrian government forces with firearms, grenade launchers and armored personnel carriers as the country is struggling with radical ISIL militants.
"These deliveries are carried out in full compliance with bilateral contracts signed with legitimate Syrian authorities, therefore, they do not violate, in any respect, international laws," ministry's spokeswoman maria Zakharova said.
According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russia provides "considerable" support to Syria in terms of equipment, training and weaponry.
"There is no embargo on arms deliveries to Syria…and we will respect all our obligations to this country in the area of military-technical cooperation," Zakharova stressed.
She also described Western claims that the Russian assistance to Syria in the fight against terrorism would allegedly lead to strengthening of the Islamic State as "absurd."
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is providing aid to the Syrian army because it believes this is the only force capable of confronting the Islamic State.
(Sputnik)
10/9/15
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Related:
- Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that Russia will take further steps on Syria if needed after admitting that his country’s “humanitarian” flights to Syria carry military equipment as well as humanitarian aid.
His statements come after the United States and some European countries expressed growing concern over the cargo on the flights.
Moscow has previously insisted in public that its flights to Syria are only humanitarian. Washington has put pressure on Greece and Bulgaria in recent days to deny Russia's requests to use their airspace for its Syria flights..........alarabiya.net by Reuter
10/9/15
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- L’Ukraine a fermé son espace aérien aux avions russes se rendant en Syrie pour y fournir de l’aide humanitaire, a déclaré jeudi le premier ministre ukrainien Arseni Iatseniouk...
L'Ukraine a accentué son contrôle sur les avions russes se rendant en Syrie, a affirmé le premier ministre ukrainien lors de sa rencontre avec son homologue slovaque Robert Fico.
"Ce matin, j'ai chargé le Centre de navigation aérienne ukrainienne de renforcer le contrôle à l'égard des avions russes se rendant en Syrie, en coopération avec l'Eurocontrol. Actuellement, l'espace aérien au-dessus de l'Ukraine est fermé, mais celui au-dessus des eaux intermédiaires n'est pas spécialement contrôlé", a annoncé M. Iatseniouk.
Le 8 septembre, les autorités bulgares ont également fermé leur espace aérien aux avions russes qui devaient acheminer de l'aide humanitaire en Syrie. Le ministère bulgare des Affaires étrangères a déclaré qu'il avait été alerté sur la cargaison des avions..........http://sptnkne.ws/Hzs
10/9/15
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Ukraine has closed air space for Russia’s aircraft bound for Syria, Ukraine’s Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said at the meeting with his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico on Thursday...
ReplyDelete"I ordered Ukraeroruh [Ukrainian State Air Traffic Services Enterprise] this morning to increase control with Eurocontrol on the flights of any Russian planes to Syria. Now the air space over Ukraine is closed in general and the air space over the neutral waters is under special control," he said.
Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday it refused to allow air corridor for Russian aircraft carrying humanitarian assistance to Syria between September 1 and September 24.
"We denied permission to let Russian military-transport planes cross Bulgarian territory because on the basis of the available information we have reasonable doubts the cargoes are not the declared ones. The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry made that decision of its own accord," the ministry’s spokesperson said.
http://tass.ru/en/world/820191
10/9/15