Russian Federation and the United States are working to resolve the situation in Syria in a very concrete and organized way, according to Shoigu, who explained that all of the suggestions are aimed at preserving the country’s territorial integrity and fighting terrorism, while the sides believe that the rest can be worked out at the negotiation table.
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Russia’s defense minister says Moscow and Washington are edging closer to an agreement that would help defuse the situation in the besieged Syrian city Aleppo.
Fighting between Syrian government forces and the rebels first broke out in mid-2012 in Aleppo.
However, opposition activists and militant websites reported on Monday that the rebels and militants retreated from all positions they seized near the cement factory following a massive government counterattack. “I’m talking exclusively about Aleppo, that would allow us to find common ground and start fighting together for bringing peace to that territory, that long-suffering land so that people could return to their homes”. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the death toll from the bombing rose to 32, expecting it to go even higher.
Senior Russian and USA military officials have held Geneva negotiations on Aleppo and on restoring an overall ceasefire, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said last Thursday.
Fighting for control of the divided city of some 2 million people has intensified in recent weeks and there have been some gains for rebel groups battling Syrian government forces.
Fath al-Sham, formerly known as the Nusra Front, recently changed its name and said it was severing ties with the global terror network in an apparent attempt to evade Russian and USA -led airstrikes.
Fierce fighting began on Sunday and lasted for hours around key army positions at the cement factory. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that Syrian rebels had used temporary ceasefires in and around Aleppo to regroup and rearm. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks.
The Syrian government describes all armed groups fighting to topple President Bashar Assad as terrorists.
Russian Federation backs Assad in the five-year-old Syria conflict, while the United States wants to see Assad step down.
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The German government on Monday urgently called on Russian Federation and the Syrian government to facilitate humanitarian access to the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo. However, other groups such as the al-Qaeda linked Nusra Front, which now calls itself Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, are also active in the city.
