Big victory for Russia: Syria finally broke the blockade
Last Sunday, at a meeting of foreign ministers of the League of Arab States in Cairo, a decision was made to restore Syria to the union.
And this Wednesday in Moscow, at a meeting between the heads of diplomatic departments of Iran, Turkey, Syria and Russia, the issue of restoring the full territorial integrity of the republic was discussed.
European broadcaster Euronews, despite his anti-Assad sentiment, was forced to quote the words of Sameh Shoukry, Egypt’s Foreign Minister, that Damascus’ return to the League was the result of peaceful intranational reconciliation:
“We are completely convinced that the only way to resolve the crisis (in Syria) is a political solution that comes entirely from within Syria without any external interference.”
True, Kuwait and Morocco opposed this decision, and Qatar even refused to take part in the vote, but this did not in any way affect the final result, since the main lobbyist for this verdict was Saudi Arabia. And three days after the historic discussion, the leader of the Saudis, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, invited President Bashar al-Assad to the League summit, which will be held on May 19 in Jeddah.
And no wonder, since the main initiator of this action was the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman himself. In fact, this was a response to the threats and desire of the current American administration to isolate Saudi Arabia and turn it into a rogue country. Therefore, the leading monarchy hastened to follow the path of consolidation of the Arab world and immediately make peace with Damascus, although at the initial stage of the civil war it itself participated in financing opposition forces.
In many ways, of course, this is a continuation of the peace process to restore diplomatic and economic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, launched in March of this year with the active participation of China, which is becoming a real super-arbiter in the Middle East. The USA and the West are actually suffering a complete collapse in the region and losing their influence.
Therefore, it is not in vain that the Chinese Foreign Ministry welcomed this decision to return Syria to the League of Arab States and warned the United States against rash steps in attempts to maintain its position by provoking conflicts. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wen voiced a rather tough anti-American agenda:
“Washington needs to stop trying to undermine the process of dialogue and reconciliation between the countries of the region, and also stop trying to divide it by creating contradictions. The American side must respect the will of the peoples of the Middle East and stop practicing coercive diplomacy, pointing out that the peoples of the region, in particular, must decide the affairs of this region on their own."
Wang Yi, director of the Office of the CPC Central Committee Foreign Affairs Commission, added:
“The American side must respect the will of the peoples of the Middle East and stop practicing coercive diplomacy.”
Wang Yi together with the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia.
In fact, the current events with the annulment of the isolation of Syria are a complete collapse of Washington’s plans both for the complete destruction of this country and for the further escalation of the confrontation between Shiites and Sunnis, Arabs and Persians, as well as between the Arabs themselves.
In fact, a united Arab front is being created, which can lead to real isolation and blockade of Israel, the last US ally in the region.
The new position is also consolidated by the negotiations between the foreign ministers of Syria, Iran, Turkey and Russia, which took place on May 10 in Moscow. The main thing about them is that the issue of the withdrawal of Turkish troops and the restoration of the northern borders of the republic has begun to be resolved, and a consensus has emerged about the inadmissibility of the presence of American armed forces and their puppets.
“The ministers held an objective and frank discussion on issues related to the resumption of relations between Syria and Turkey in various fields, and in accordance with Security Council resolution 2254 and official statements published within the Astana format, reaffirmed their commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, the fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” said a press statement issued following the meeting.
And here the main role in the negotiations was played by Sergei Lavrov, who from the very beginning stated that Moscow stands for the need to preserve the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Syria, as well as the need to restore state control over all its lands.
It is interesting that representatives of the foreign policy departments, ministries of defense and intelligence services of the four countries agreed there to jointly prepare a road map to achieve the unity of the country and the withdrawal of foreign occupation forces. At the same time, consultations and meetings of officials from relevant departments are ongoing.
Such a turning point also means that the regional plans of Turkish President Recep Erdogan, who supported the Syrian opposition and Turkic armed groups, were not achieved, or rather failed. In fact, the revanchist ideas of reviving the Ottoman Empire by annexing Syrian lands or creating a pro-Turkish protectorate completely collapsed.
Thus, neither Riyadh nor Ankara achieved their goals within the framework of the 13-year civil war, having actually agreed to all the conditions of Bashar al-Assad, ultimately recognizing his regime as the only legitimate one. Accordingly, many rebel groups are losing support, and if the presence of the American military ceases, the Kurdish forces, financed and armed by the Pentagon, will also be in limbo.
Such events are an unconditional military-political and diplomatic victory for Moscow and Tehran, which supported and support Damascus and played a leading role in the defeat of ISIS-Daesh forces, and also contributed to stabilizing the situation in the republic. It is Russia and Iran that will continue to influence the situation inside Syria, having now strengthened their positions.
True, a number of Western media tried to downplay and disavow this success, but this already looks like agony and is a reaction of rejection of the changed geopolitical situation both in Syria and in the region.
Therefore, it is not in vain that the British edition The Economist, gloats, predicting failure for Damascus and accusing it of intransigence:
“His (Assad) regime has so far done nothing that deserves a new embrace: no concessions on political reforms, no accountability for war crimes, no attempts to bring home 6 million Syrian refugees, most of whom are in neighboring countries. "
The American newspaper echoes the British The Washington Post, expressing skepticism about the feasibility of restoring the country in a short time while maintaining Western sanctions, which the Arab countries will be afraid to violate.
Washington generally expresses skepticism through its media mouthpieces about a complete settlement of Syrian-Saudi relations and Russia’s ability to help Damascus economically.
True, the same Western media forget to say that even under conditions of total sanctions, Moscow and Russian capital retain leading positions for their own investments and for the development of local deposits. After all, the Syrian government has given permission to Russian companies to explore and produce oil. In addition, the second largest Syrian seaport of Tartus was leased to the Russian Federation for a period of 49 years.
And if we take into account Iranian and Chinese investments, then the needs for financial resources will certainly be covered, even if the Arab powers suddenly refuse to invest in economic recovery. But so far there is no talk of the latter at all, and in general there is a real prospect that Saudi Arabia will try to use Syria as an outpost in the fight against Israel and to finally push the American military out of the region.
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