Russia: Lavrov says Damascus-Kurds dialogue yielding ‘concrete results’

W/S Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attending to the 18th meeting of heads of special services security agencies, Sochi
SOT, Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister (Russian): “Yesterday President Putin and President Erdogan discussed those issues in their phone conversation, including the situation in Syria, the Syrian Arab Republic’s securit, their sovereign objectives and territorial integrity in an uncompromising battle against the strongholds of terroristic groups and, of course, the promotion of the political process via organisation of the first inaugural session of the constitutional committee.” *JUMPCUT AT SOURCE*
SOT, Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister (Russian): “I would like to stress that we want to deal with the current situation via dialogue between the government and Kurdish structures. This dialogue has started and is already bringing concrete results. And at the same time we have always said that we admit Turkey's legitimate interests in its border security and protection. At the same time we support the development of cooperation between Damascus and Ankara based on the Adana agreement of 1998.”
W/S Security meeting
SOT, Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister (Russian): “For years we have been drawing attention to the explosive policy of the US and members of the coalition led by them, who set a course for the collapse of the Syrian Arab Republic and the creation of quasi-state entities on the eastern bank of the Euphrates, pushing Kurdish organisations to separatism and confrontation with Arab tribes. We are all reaping the benefits of such a short-sighted policy today: it has resulted in a new armed conflict, in which the ISIS fighters in this area are beginning to disperse to the Middle East and North Africa and other regions of the world.”
M/S Head of Federal Security Service of Russia Alexander Bortnikov
SOT, Alexander Bortnikov, head of Federal Security Service of Russia (Russian): "There are intentions to create organised structures in the Middle East and Africa, Afghanistan and Southeast Asia. There are also attempts to decentralise activities from ISIS, and to change their activities to organised network. Leaders of terrorist structures are stepping up their attempts to acquire new kinds of weapons and military equipment, and geolocation and satellite communications tools."
W/S Bortnikov speaking
SOT, Alexander Bortnikov, head of Federal Security Service of Russia (Russian): "This year, 39 terrorist attacks were prevented at the preparation stage, 32 militants were neutralised, 679 were detained, and 22 of them has stopped their terrorist activity."
W/S Meeting
SCRIPT
Dialogue between the Syrian government and Kurdish forces has already brought results, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Sochi on Wednesday.
“This dialogue has started and is already bringing concrete results,” he said at the 18th meeting of heads of special services, security agencies and law enforcement organisations.
The Russian diplomat pointed out that Moscow respected Turkey's right to defend itself, adding that Russia supported “the development of cooperation between Damascus and Ankara based on the Adana agreement of 1998.”
Lavrov blamed the US-led coalition for destabilising Syria by “pushing Kurdish organisations to separatism and confrontation with Arab tribes.”
Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Head Alexander Bortnikov on his part warned that terrorist organisations were “stepping up their attempts to acquire new kinds of weapons and military equipment, and geolocation and satellite communications tools.”
He also said that FSB and other law enforcement agencies had thwarted 39 terror attacks in Russia so far in 2019.