In the last few days it has been particularly noticeable that, in anticipation of the planned launch of the Geneva inter-Syrian talks, the activities of the terrorist groups, trying to reverse the situation in the theater of war in their favor, have intensified. Maria Zakharova, director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, states that the attempts at counter-attacks on the government are forced by the militant groups Dzhabhat en Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham. They have received serious reinforcement from Turkey in the province of Aleppo, near Dzhbel Alturkman, in the province of Latakia. Aggravation is observed in several suburbs of Damascus, and in the provinces of Idlib and Homs.
The most violent and bloody clashes between the government army and the gangs of ISIS are taking place in Deir ez-Zor, and unfortunately the blockade being carried out by the terrorists is not mentioned in the international media. The militants of Islamic State have committed crimes, a tragedy has occurred, about 300 supporters of the legitimate government of Syria, mainly civilians, were executed. Hundreds of people were taken hostage.
On January 17th the Syrian side sent an official appeal to the UN Secretary General and the President of the UN Security Council with evidence of instances of gross violations of the sovereignty of Syria by Turkey. We are talking about repeated incursions by Turkish soldiers and armored vehicles into the border areas of Syria, where they have begun the construction of trenches, walls and structures along with the execution of tasks in support of armed groups that are in the orbit of Turkish influence. It is not excluded that this fortification of the Syrian-Turkish border is intended to be used as a base for illegal armed groups.
Zakharova pays attention to the fact that, in an environment where all the stakeholders pin their hopes on the start of a meaningful and, as prescribed and we assume, an inclusive dialogue between the Syrian authorities and the opposition, from some external forces the replenishment of the militants of Syria is being continued, including weapons and ammunition for the most terrible terrorist groups. All this activity is similar to the depreciation of any public declarations of a commitment to a peaceful path to resolving the crisis in Syria. This is at odds with the efforts of the peace process, which is based on the 22-54 UN Security Council Resolution.
The Russian Foreign Ministry sees another round of pressure on the Damascus authorities in connection with the attempts to blame it for the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the country. “Russia's position is based on the inadmissibility of the politicization of these, of course, important and priority issues, which are well known to us. Their solution requires an objective and comprehensive approach, which should be based on promoting inter-Syrian dialogue and overcoming the internal crisis, as well as the consolidation of efforts for the complete and unconditional defeat of the terrorists,” Zakharova said.
