MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th November, 2021) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed on Tuesday the situation in northeastern Syria with Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) head Ilham Ehmed, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
SDC is the governing body in northeastern Syria, mostly inhabited by Kurds and hosting American military bases. Official Damascus does not recognize the SDF authority in the area, as well as the US military presence there.
"During the conversation, the (sides) discussed the situation in the SAR (Syrian Arab Republic) with a focus on the situation in the north-eastern region of the country. Particular attention was paid to the promotion of the political settlement in Syria based on the UN Security Council resolution 2254, the restoration of its economy and social sector, the return of refugees and internally displaced persons, the provision of humanitarian assistance to those in need," the ministry said in a statement.
Lavrov reaffirmed Moscow's readiness to continue to support the efforts towards "the speedy restoration of the full sovereignty and territorial integrity of the SAR, ensuring the legitimate rights of all ethnic and religious groups of the country's population," the statement read.
The armed conflict in Syria has been going on since 2011. In late 2017, the Islamic State (a terrorist group, outlawed in Russia) was declared defeated in Syria and Iraq, but counterterrorism operations are ongoing.
