Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Geneva II Peace Conference should be held as soon as possible.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Geneva II Peace Conference should be held as soon as possible.
In an interview with Egypt’s Al-Ahram daily on Wednesday, Lavrov said, “Russia, the United States and U.N./LAS Special Envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi are working hard to prepare the Geneva II Conference, which would give a start to an inclusive dialogue.”
“Every day delaying the conference leads to the death and people’s sufferings. Thus, it is important to start negotiations in Geneva without delay,” the Russian minister said.
“In order to achieve progress it is necessary to comply with the Geneva communique,” he said, adding, “There is no ambiguity in the communique. We call for carrying out its ideas without departing from its provisions.”
“The priority task of the international community, including Russia, is to create favorable conditions for an inter-Syrian dialogue,” the minister said.
“Since the beginning of the crisis Russia has pursued a policy towards settling the conflict by political and diplomatic means,” he said.
“In my view, the fact that Syria’s chemical weapons were taken under international control has become an important step towards eliminating these arms in compliance with the OPCW Executive Committee decision and U.N. Security Council Resolution 2118,” Lavrov said, adding, “This proves that diplomatic steps yield concrete positive results.”
Fate of the Muslim Brotherhood
Lavrov said the Egyptian people were able to take its own decision on the Muslim Brotherhood fate.
He stated that “Russia is strictly committed to the principle of non-interference in the affairs of a sovereign state and people’s right to free and independent choice of ways and forms of government.”
“We won’t deliver sermons to our foreign partners. We won’t impose the methods for solving problems of internal competence,” he said.
“I’m convinced that the Egyptian people with rich historical and civilized heritage are able to take an adequate decision on the role and place of any organizations, including Muslim Brotherhood,” the minister said.
“I’m sure that the Egyptian people is capable of finding effective solutions to problems by taking into account the interests of all political, ethnic and confessional groups,” he said.
“All problems should be solved through peaceful ways on the basis of a comprehensive dialogue. The stable situation would create prerequisites for carrying out reforms and other programs,” Lavrov added.
Since the very beginning Russia “has expressed solidarity with the Egyptian people and supported the drive for renovating the society and the state, promoting democratic reforms and creating more effective social and economic systems”, Lavrov said.
Egypt’s Stance on Syria
Russia lauds Egypt’s active position in contributing to the political settlement in Syria, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
“It is necessary to comply with international law and the U.N. Charter,” the minister said, adding, “The interference into a sovereign state’s affairs is unacceptable.”
“The crisis in Syria can’t be resolved by force. It can be settled by political and diplomatic means through direct dialogue between the authorities and the opposition,” Lavrov said.
“As we realize the Egyptian authorities are committed to convening the Geneva II Peace Conference as soon as possible. They are ready to contribute to the political settlement of the conflict,” the minister said.
Russia-Egypt Partnership
Russia and Egypt are committed to further strengthening of partnership and mutually advantageous cooperation, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said: “Egypt was and remains Russia’s leading partner.”
“This year we mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. We achieved considerable progress in bilateral cooperation. These are joint projects of 1950’s-1960’s and up-to-date projects in energy, agriculture, tourism and machine-building,” the minister said.
“Despite the global economic crisis, in recent years trade between Russia and Egypt has considerably increased,” he said.
Lavrov noted the active development of humanitarian relations. “Thousands of Russians live in Egypt and do business. Hundreds of Russian citizens arrive in Egypt to study at universities while young Egyptians work in Russia,” he said.
“This is the base on which we should build more fruitful relations,” Lavrov added.
The Russian Ministers of Defense Sergei Shoigu and Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov arrive in Egypt on Wednesday for a two-day visit to discuss strengthening the bilateral relation between Russia and Egypt.
