As Moscow’s top diplomat reeled in Doha, his Turkish counterpart appeared to know he had the upper hand
Only 12 hours earlier the key external powers – Russia and Iran along with Turkey – had met five Arab states on the sidelines of the forum to issue a joint statement appealing for an end to military operations, preservation of Syria’s territorial integrity and consultations on a political solution between Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the opposition.
Earlier at the summit on Saturday, the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, had been questioned onstage about Syria’s future, an increasingly uncomfortable encounter as he was asked to explain Russia’s role in the country over the past decade.
Asked why Assad had not helped in the transition of power, Lavrov said “No one’s perfect.” He made no reference to the 17 times Russia had vetoed UN security council resolutions to protect Assad. Asked if he truly thought Assad would win free and fair elections called for in resolution 2254, Lavrov changed the subject to the US presence in eastern Syria “supporting Kurdish separatists, including on the lands which historically belonged to Arab tribes, exploiting oil and food resources, selling them in the world market and financing the quasi-state they are building there”.
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