Tillerson looked forward to constructive talks with Lavrov in Moscow
MOSCOW, 9 APR — RIA Novosti. U.S. Secretary of state Rex Tillerson hopes that the talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov during visit to Moscow will be constructive.
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“I hope that we will be able to hold constructive talks with the Russian government, with foreign Minister Lavrov that Russia will support a process that will lead to stabilization in Syria,” he said in an interview with ABC News.
Tillerson also stressed that during his visit to Moscow intends to raise the issue of Russia’s compliance with commitments on the elimination of chemical weapons in Syria.
“It will be part of the discussion when I will arrive in Moscow next week — call to foreign Minister Lavrov and the Russian government on the implementation of the commitments it took before the international community when he agreed to be the guarantor of chemical weapons destruction. Why Russia failed to achieve this, it is not clear to me. I do not draw the conclusion about the complicity of Russia (in the “chemical attack” in Idlib — ed), but obviously they were ineffective, and perhaps the Syrians simply manipulated them,” he added.
Tillerson’s visit to Moscow scheduled for 11-12 April.
In 2013, Damascus agreed to hand over all its stocks of chemical warfare agents under international control for subsequent destruction. Three years later, the Organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons announced the complete elimination of those arsenals.
Last week, the Syrian opposition reported numerous victims himataki in the city of Khan shaykhun, Idlib province and blamed government forces. Despite the denials from Damascus and Russia’s calls for an investigation into the tragedy, the US Navy ships in the night of Friday released dozens of cruise missiles at the airfield shirt, which was allegedly caused a non-conventional shot.