The change in military strategy had been pushed by members of the US Congress, who argued that the US could not train the rebels and send them into battle against the “Islamic State” without backup. “We agree that we need to join efforts to fight this phenomenon as soon and as effectively as possible”, Lavrov said in comments carried by Russian state TV from Malaysia.
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The IS has been the main danger in Syria and Iraq and this is why Moscow supported the governments of both countries, he said.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Monday dismissed as “counterproductive” an announcement by Washington that it could take extra measures to defend U.S.-allied fighters in Syria.
And speaking to the Turkish state broadcaster TRT, Cavusoglu said work was well under way in collaboration with the US training Syria’s “moderate opposition”.
He also warned the U.S. against launching air raids on Syrian government forces to support U.S.-trained opposition groups, saying it could make it more hard to fight terrorism.
In a statement released in Gaza, the Hamas official said a delegation led by Meshaal briefed Lavrov on conditions in the Gaza Strip, which the Islamist movement rules, in the aftermath of last summer’s war with Israel.
The source also said that talks with the foreign ministers of Kuwait and Oman are on the agenda of Lavrov’s visit to Doha as well.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem arrived in Tehran on Tuesday for talks with officials from Iran and Russian Federation that were expected to focus on efforts to end the civil war. There are no hints about what Russian Federation is planning to discuss with Hamas especially after the suspension of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
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The American stance, shared by the majority of the West and its Gulf Arab allies, is that Assad must leave office before a resolution in Syria can be reached.
