Russia is ready to discuss the creation of safe zones in Syria with the US
The Kremlin is ready to discuss creation of a safe zones in Syria with the USA, however any such plan must be agreed upon with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a press conference in Moscow on February 22, reported Radio Liberty.
Lavrov further stated that he had briefly discussed this topic with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson when they met last week in Germany, however, Tillerson told him that the concept of the creation of such safe zones was still in the developmental stages.
The Russian Foreign Minister also said Russia will wait for the US’s proposal presentation. At the same time he noted that “any similar initiatives which relate to Syria must be agreed upon with the Syrian government, otherwise it would be difficult to implement them.”
United States President Donald Trump announced in January his intention to create special zones where Syrians fleeing the war could live and not leave the country to become refugees in the US or Europe. Trump instructed the relevant US departments to work out the details of the plan.
Earlier, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad noted that any steps by external forces to create safe zones would be a violation of Syria’s sovereignty if it was not agreed upon by his government.