Damascus strongly condemns the visit by a French Foreign Ministry delegation to militant-controlled areas, as it constitutes a violation of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday
DAMASCUS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th July, 2023) Damascus strongly condemns the visit by a French Foreign Ministry delegation to militant-controlled areas, as it constitutes a violation of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
"Syria condemned in the strongest terms the illegal entry into its territory by a delegation from the French Foreign Ministry," the ministry said, adding that "the French delegation's meeting with separatist groups is a blatant violation of the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity once again demonstrating France's destructive role and deep hostility toward Syria."
A source in the ministry said that the French delegation's actions were considered as a "flagrant violation of basic international laws and norms."
The armed conflict in Syria has been going on since 2011 between the government of President Bashar Assad and various armed groups, including terrorist. The Islamic State terrorist group (banned in Russia) was declared defeated in Syria and Iraq in late 2017. Damascus has since continued raids to wipe out remaining cells, chiefly in the country's northwest.
