Lavrov: Positive Results on Resuming Nuclear Talks Anticipated
Russian FM Sergey Lavrov stresses that Tehran continued to abide by its commitments for a full year after Washington's withdrawal from the nuclear deal.
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Lavrov: Al-Nusra Front is not part of the fabric of the Syrian society and must be expelled
Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, said that Moscow calls on Washington to take a "more active" approach to help resume talks on the nuclear deal.
Lavrov declared, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly's session on Saturday, that Tehran continued to abide by its commitments for a full year after Washington withdrew from the nuclear deal, adding that Russia is optimistic that positive results can be achieved in the course of reviving the deal.
The Russian Foreign Minister also highlighted that including the ballistic missiles program or Iran's regional role in the deal will yield no results.
Earlier, Russia's PR to International Organizations, Mikhail Ulyanov, had stated that "90% of the revival of the nuclear deal has been accomplished and all that is left are some minor details concerning US commitments."
One terrorist outpost left in Syria
On Syria, Lavrov said that only one terrorist outpost is left in Syria, in Idlib Province, and there are no problems in the fight against terrorism there, stressing that the al-Nusra front is not part of the fabric of Syrian society and thus must be expelled.
He also said that Russian and Syrian army sites are being attacked in the de-escalation zone, which is something they will not allow, noting that US forces occupy the al-Tanf and al-Rukban areas in Syria, and this is unacceptable.
Lavrov clarified that the West is controlling the mechanism according to which humanitarian aid enters Syria without coordinating with Damascus, which we cannot allow, further noting that Moscow will shut down this mechanism in case the other parties do not abide by the agreement they had reached before.
We support direct talks between the Palestinians and Israelis
On the Palestinian cause, Lavrov said that the actions of the Trump administration and its unilateral decisions did not help make progress in the Palestinian cause. In this regard, Russia's FM revealed his country's willingness to support "direct talks" between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, adding that Russia aims at resolving the disagreements among the Palestinians, but no internal reconciliation has so far been reached.
Russia supports Taliban against ISIS
With regards to Afghanistan, Lavrov announced that Russia supports the Taliban's efforts against ISIS in Afghanistan.
He went on to say that the speedy withdrawal of the US and NATO forces from Afghanistan was executed without any thought to its consequences, with much weaponry left behind. He also added that there should be guarantees that the arms the US left in Afghanistan will not be used for destructive purposes.
Lavrov also noted that the lifting of the Security Council's sanctions on the Taliban movement has no significance, for the time being, further clarifying that the Taliban has not submitted a request to Russia to appoint its representative who will be its ambassador to Moscow."
Regarding the AUKUS row, Lavrov said that the crisis only reveals the extent of the lack of trust in these alliances, adding that Russia will not interfere.
