MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th January, 2021) Russian military stationed in Syria will not engage in combat with US troops deployed there, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday.
During a press conference, the minister acknowledged the existence of military contacts between the two sides, despite Moscow's refusal to recognize the legitimacy of US military presence in the country.
"We can't kick them out of there, we will not engage with them, of course, but since they are there, we have a dialogue with them on so-called deconfliction, in which we seek compliance with certain rules. And, among other things, we talk firmly about the inadmissibility of using force against facilities that are property of the Syrian state," Lavrov said.
Syria has been engulfed in a protracted civil war since 2011, with the Syrian government's forces fighting against various insurgent groups, like Islamic State (terrorist gorup banned in Russia). While Russia and the United States have been deploying their forces in the country, Moscow is acting with the permission of the country's government of Bashar Assad, while Washington is staunchly opposed to Assad and operated under its own auspices.
