Experts: Chechen Strongman Kadyrov strengthens his influence in Middle East to improve his immunity in Russia.

Experts: Chechen Strongman Kadyrov strengthens his influence in Middle East to improve his immunity in Russia. (CaucasianKnot).

The visit of the Mufti of Chechnya to Syria and his meeting with President Bashar Assad were sanctioned by the Kremlin on the initiative of Ramzan Kadyrov, believe the experts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot". 

They state that, apart from using Islamic tools in the Middle East conflict, the Kremlin gives Kadyrov a chance to strengthen his political influence.

The contacts of Russian Islamic religious figures with the Assad regime are intended to legitimize the Syrian regime in the eyes of Sunni leaders of the Islamic world, Alexei Makarkin, the Vice President of the Centre for Political Studies, believes.

"Kadyrov stresses that he can be helpful not only in Northern Caucasus, but also in the Middle East, in particular in Syria; therefore, he sends Chechen servicemen to Syria and benefits from his ties using their connections in the Middle East," Mr Makarkin said, adding that Moscow is trying to "find a common language in the political dimension of religion."

"On the one hand, Russia is a military ally, supporting al-Assad; on the other hand, the Kremlin is seeking to show that this is not a war against Islam," Alexei Makarkin has concluded.

The opinion that the visit of Mufti Mezhiev to Syria was agreed with the presidential administration is supported by Akhmet Yarlykapov, senior researcher at the Centre for Ethnopolitical Studies of the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS).

The military phase of the conflict in Syria is nearing its completion; and Russia is facing a number of problems, for the solution of which the Kremlin has no "human resources" other than Kadyrov. This is the opinion of Denis Sokolov, the head of the RAMCOM Centre for Social and Economic Regional Studies.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.

Podcast : Adam Shatz talks to Joshua Landis on Syria War.: Trump reverting to the Obama doctrine

For the latest instalment of our podcast, @adamshatz spoke to @joshua_landis about the Syrian War, listen/read here: https://t.co/UahinsDP6B

— London Review (LRB) (@LRB) April 21, 2017

Video - Syrian Evacuation Deals (Details) And War Direction - By ME Journalist Elijah J. Magnier

Prisoner releases from Damascus, Hostage releases from Iraq, Millions$ paid and more.

Syria Chemical attack Caused by Third Party: Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani.

Syria Chemical attack Caused by Third Party: Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani.(IFPnews).

Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani discussed the recent US military strike on Syria’s al-Shayrat airbase with his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev.

The two sides conferred on the issue during a telephone conversation on Saturday, according to a Farsi report by ISNA.

During the phone call, Shamkhani underlined the need for the establishment of an independent international committee to investigate the suspicious chemical incident in Idlib.

Syria’s chemical weapons had been destroyed by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in previous years, Shamkhani noted.

Therefore, he added, the Tuesday chemical attack on Khan Shaykhun was definitely launched by a third party in an attempt to create a pretext for a military attack on Syria.

He further blasted the US missile attack on the Syrian airbase on Friday, and stressed that the ‘aggressive and illegal’ move will only strengthen the terrorists and disrupt the ongoing fight against terrorism pursued by the governments of Russia, Syria, and Iran under the UN supervision.

Patrushev, for his part, strongly denounced the US military attack on Syria and described it as a blatant violation of international laws.

“The US move was a clear invasion of an independent country, and despite what the US government claims, served the interests of terrorists,” he noted.


The Russian official pointed to the US history of raising false allegations about Weapons of Mass Destruction [the claims about Iraq’s possession of WMDs], and said the recent political fuss on Syria is just aimed at disrupting the process of resolving the Syrian crisis and increasing pressures on the legitimate government of Bashar al-Assad.

Ankara should have tried to find out how chemical weapons and chemical materials were smuggled from Iraq to Idlib. https://t.co/2f2rV60sbM

— MFS - The Other News (@MFS001) April 8, 2017

@manny_ottawa Flashback - 2010. Al Nusra captures base who's of part of Syria’s chemical weapons program. https://t.co/eEoXvchvCf

— MFS - The Other News (@MFS001) April 8, 2017

@manny_ottawa Flashback 2013. Questions about alleged gas attack in #Syria . #AlNusra....Again. FDD's Long War Journal. https://t.co/Zs21rtIvs5

— MFS - The Other News (@MFS001) April 8, 2017

Video - Assad interview: 'Without Erdogan's support ISIS and al-Nusra they cannot survive'.

Assad interview: 'Without Erdogan's support ISIS and al-Nusra they cannot survive'.  (SP).

Question 5: In the course of the fight against the so-called Islamic State, would you seek coordination with players like Turkey, Kurds, and the United States?

Erdogan supports ISIS and al-Nusra on daily basis.

President Assad: First of all, if you want to be very transparent, ISIS was created under the supervision of the United States, whether in Iraq in 2006; before it was ISIS, it was IS, Islamic State, it was in Iraq only, restricted to Iraq. Then when the conflict started in Syria, it became ISIS, of Syria and Iraq, and later Turkey sponsored this State, because they used to use the Syrian oil fields in order to export and to get money and to recruit more fighters, and Turkey was directly involved in the smuggling of oil, with the involvement and complicity of Erdogan himself with ISIS.

So, we cannot expect to have genuine fight against ISIS by Turkey or the United States, and the recent, more stark example is the attack on Palmyra a few weeks ago, when they could retake Palmyra under the supervision of the Americans, under the surveillance of the American drones; they came through the desert and they occupied Palmyra.

Today, we are talking, and ISIS has been attacking Deir Ezzor in the eastern part of Syria, and the Americans did nothing to stop ISIS.

This is where the so-called international alliance against terrorism has been working for more than one year and a half now, and they achieved nothing, because they are not serious.

For Turkey, Erdogan is Muslim Brotherhood, he’s instinctively and innately sympathetic and linked and close and adhered to the ISIS and to Al Qaeda because they have the same ideology, he cannot be away from them.

He tries to do some maneuvers, to show that he’s against those terrorists, ISIS and al-Nusra, but actually on daily basis he supports those organizations, and without his support, they cannot survive. Read the full transcript here.

Russia will leave only when law and order are restored in Syria.

Russia will leave only when law and order are restored in Syria. (Tass).

The Russian military will leave Syria after law and order are restored there, Konstantin Kosachev, Chairman of Russia’s Federation Council International Affairs Committee said.

"We are definitely not going to interfere in the internal affairs of Syria. As soon as law and order are restored there, Russia will leave Syria," the senator said.

He also expressed confidence that, if the Syrian people have an opportunity to determine their own political system of power in the country, the Syrians will cope with this task.

Fundamental changes in Syria now allow President Bashar Assad to enter into peace talks with the militants from advantageous positions, Konstantin Kosachev said following Assad’s interview published on the website of the Syrian news agency SANA.

In part, Assad told the media that doing business with terrorists would be fundamentally wrong, but if a dialog might help stop bloodshed, it should be conducted, because putting an end to violence is the Syrian leadership’s paramount priority.

Assad underscored the idea that a hypothetical contact with the militants was not tantamount to a manifestation of trust towards them. Criminals will remain criminals, even if they come to the negotiating table a thousand times, he stated.

Kosachev believes that Assad’s statement does not run counter to Damascus’s previous logic: fighting against the enemy but at the same time offering talks to those who are ready to give up armed struggle.

"One should be aware that the fundamental changes in the state of affairs in Syria allow president Assad to act from advantageous positions," Kosachev said, adding that the Syrian leader was not proposing armistice, but giving a chance to the opponents to get out of bloodshed and find a way out of the stalemate of confrontation in which the militants’ positions do not look good at all."

Behind Assad’s intention to start negotiations "there are humanitarian motives, because they are the key reason for Assad’s criticism in the West."

"No other arguments in favor of the old-time demand for replacing the regime in Damascus just don’t exist," he said.

Three key areas of disagreement between Moscow and Assad

Three key areas of disagreement between Moscow and Assad. (RBTH).

Since the beginning of the Syrian conflict, Russia has been seen as a loyal ally to Bashar Assad, giving unwavering support to the Syrian president. Yet, the positions of Moscow and the Syrian regime are far from identical. Russia advocates a political solution to the crisis, whereas Assad sees war as the answer.

1. Different goals

The goals of Russia and Assad in the Syrian conflict only partially coincide, says Vladimir Akhmedov, a senior research associate at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oriental Studies. “Russia’s interests consist in preserving a secular regime in Syria, which would continue cooperating with Moscow,” he says.

As far as Moscow is concerned, it is not essential whether Assad remains in power or not, whereas for him this issue is crucial, Akhmedov says. Representatives of the Syrian government refuse to discuss the president’s resignation as a prerequisite for the start of a “transition period” envisaged in the Geneva agreements.

2. Assad is for war

Akhmedov believes that the Syrian president is only paying lip service to a political settlement. “Assad is a man of war, he intends to fight to the end," he says. "He is prepared to hold talks only from a position of strength so that he could impose his terms on the opposition. To that end, he needs military victories, he needs to regain control over large chunks of territory.”
This opinion is shared by Arabic scholar, Grigory Kosach, a professor at the Russian University of Humanities. “Unlike Russia, Assad has never viewed even the moderate section of the Syrian opposition as a possible negotiating partner. He has always described them as terrorists operating on orders from abroad,” says Kosach.

For Russia, a continuation of the war is fraught with the risk of bigger losses. “We cannot allow an escalation and the involvement of a large number of Russian servicemen in hostilities. Russia is seeking to move to a political settlement,” says Vladimir Akhmedov.

3. Attitude to the Kurds

The positions of Moscow and Damascus also differ on the Kurdish issue. When in March 2016, Syrian Kurds declared the establishment of an autonomous Federation of Northern Syria, Bashar Assad opposed the move despite the fact that the Kurds did not demand independence but just called for a federation. “Damascus is categorically opposed to any ideas of federalization, fearing that it would result in a breakup of the country,” says Kosach.
In the standoff between the government and the Kurds, Russia has opted to remain neutral. Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said: “The internal structure of the Syrian state is a matter for Syrians to decide.”

Kosach points out that Moscow is exercising caution: Syrian Kurds are an effective ally in the fight against ISIS but Russia has no intention of ruining relations with Damascus on their account. Nevertheless, in February 2016, a representative mission of Syrian Kurdistan opened in Moscow (at an unofficial level, as a non-governmental organization).

According to Akhmedov, if Russia starts putting too much pressure on Assad, he may easily reject cooperation with Russia and move completely under Iran’s influence. Iran, unlike Russia, does not consider the option of regime change in Syria, even theoretically, and unequivocally supports Assad. This explains, he says, Moscow's reluctance to criticize the Syrian regime and demonstrate a unity of approach even where there are some disagreements.  Read the full story here.

Related:

#Iran drags #Russia deeper into #Syriahttps://t.co/CxAYYTO5vJ pic.twitter.com/U2KYuQuDdC

— маяковский (@moscow_ghost) June 21, 2016

Assad Calls for Rewriting Syria’s Constitution, Emphasizing on Secular State.

Assad Calls for Rewriting Syria’s Constitution, Emphasizing on Secular State. (AW).

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has once again rejected Syria's federalization, as he warned against partition of West Asia into Small radical states.

Receiving a visiting Russian delegation, President Assad warned that Federalization will destroy the country.

A day before Syria's parliamentary elections on 13 April, the president stressed that it is required to write a new constitution for the country, allowing people to vote it.

Addressing the Russian delegation that included parliamentarians as well as religious, social and media figures, President Assad emphasized that his country should remain a secular state.

The historical relations binding the people of Russia and Syria and the situation in Syria and the war waged against terrorism were the main points of discussion during the meeting.

Touching on his government's war against terrorism, President Assad said the great achievements made in terms of eliminating large numbers of terrorists and forcing them out of many areas have been the result of the steadfastness of the Syrian people and army and the effective support of friends, mainly Russia.

Regarding Russia's role in Syria, he said "The positive role Russia is playing whether inside Syria or on the international level has helped redraw the international political map".

"This role has proved that Russia is a super power following a strategy that is based on adherence to principles and values and compliance with the international law".

The Russian delegation members, for their part, stressed that the Russian parliament supports the Syrians’ resilience and determination to maintain their state

Kadyrov says he plans to visit Syria before September elections.

Kadyrov says he plans to visit Syria before September elections. (SP).

Syrian opposition representatives visited Chechnya to "exchange experiences" with the southern Russian republic, which has overcome years of terrorism, the acting leader of the Chechen Republic told Sputnik in an interview.


"They visited for consultations. Experience sharing: you have gone through this, what should we do?" Ramzan Kadyrov said.

He did not specify which opposition group the delegation represented.

"[Syrian] President [Bashar] Assad twice invited me… to visit. But I just did not have time… I want to go, certainly," Kadyrov said.

Kadyrov added that he was going to make a visit to Syria before the September elections in the southern Russian region of Chechnya.

Kadyrov told Sputnik that the Syrian opposition is not free to make any decisions, they are made by a third party.

"They cannot decide anything on their own, a 'puppet master' is behind them and this 'puppet master' makes all the decisions," Kadyrov said following a meeting with the representatives of the Syrian opposition.

He added that the Syrian opposition representatives, including military commanders, do not know what they want, which makes them an "absolutely manageable opposition."

Syria's only chance not to lose its statehood is to properly utilize the assistance Russia has given it, Chechen Republic acting leader Ramzan Kadyrov told Sputnik in an interview.

"Today, they have only one chance — which is taking advantage of what Russia has done for them: "it boosted the army's morale, showed how to fight," Kadyrov said.

"[The Russian advisers] not only taught them, but raised their spirit," Kadyrov said.

According to the Chechen leader, Syria was not able to create a strong army and this situation only changed when Russia came to Syria's aid.

"Now, if they properly use what they've got they still can do something. But if this continues, they will lose everything. They will never build a state again," Kadyrov said.

He cited Egypt and Libya as an example.

"Several opposition factions are fighting each other for power. Some for the Americans, others for Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood finances one organization, the United States [support] one general, others finance another general. Daily conflicts, some take one territory, others another. And what happens? They have no leader at the moment," Kadyrov said. Read the full story here.  

Video - What would be the impact of Putin’s partial disengagement?

HT And Source:

This is a good analysis on #Russia in #Syriahttps://t.co/mQrZOawbhT

— Elijah J. Magnier (@EjmAlrai) March 15, 2016

Video clip - Russian BM-30 Smerch "Смерч" at Palmyra Syria front filmed by Russia-24.

First footage of TOS-1A 'Solntsepyok' at #Palmyra front #Syria.RuTV program "Война" 'War' by @epoddubny pic.twitter.com/MpdxpFJ9aQ

— Военный Советник (@miladvisor) March 13, 2016

BM-30 Smerch "Смерч" at #Palmyra front filmed by Russia-24 @epoddubny pic.twitter.com/lA9ddzGMd2

— Военный Советник (@miladvisor) March 13, 2016

Putin and Rouhani Discuss Syria on Phone, war on UN Recognized terrorist groups will continue.

Putin and Rouhani Discuss Syria on Phone, war on UN Recognized terrorist groups will continue. (Fars).

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a phone conversation on Wednesday conferred on the latest developments in Syria, including the ceasefire agreement, an aide said.

"They discussed the trend of the negotiations as well as the existing deficiencies and ambiguities in the ceasefire agreement," Deputy Chief of Staff of Iran's Presidential Office for Political Affairs Hamid Aboutalebi wrote on his tweeter page today.

"During the conversation, the two sides underlined the need for the practice of full control over the Syrian borders to prevent the re-arming of terrorists or dispatch of financial and logistical aid to them," he added.

According to Aboutalebi, the two presidents also discussed the need for ending the the conflict, establishment of a ceasefire, start of humanitarian aid, and continued consultations and coordination between Tehran and Moscow in their ongoing war on terror in Syria.

His remarks came after Kremlin's statement on the phone conversation earlier today.

President Putin on Wednesday discussed a US-Russian ceasefire plan for Syria with President Rouhani, agreeing to work jointly for a peaceful settlement of the Syria crisis, the Kremlin said.

The two leaders agreed in a telephone conversation on the need to continue the decisive fight against the ISIL, the Nusra Front and other terrorist organizations included in the United Nations Security Council sanctions list, the statement added.

The Syrian government on Tuesday accepted the terms of the ceasefire deal as announced by the US and Russia, but the Damascus government wants the war against the ISIL to continue as planned.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said on Wednesday that Tehran is confident that the Syrian government will not violate the ceasefire agreement which is due to start on February 26 at midnight Damascus time.

"As per a statement by Damascus, we are certain about the Syrian government's commitment to the ceasefire deal. However, it is not clear whether the armed groups affiliated to the known terrorist streams will remain committed too, as they have vested interests in the ongoing chaos," Amir Abdollahian said.

He said Tehran will continue to be part of the ongoing campaign against terrorism, establish sustainable ceasefire, render humanitarian aid, and facilitate talks among the Syrian groups under the UN supervision.

Russian FM Lavrov: Those questioning viability of Russian-US agreements on Syria are calling for war.

Russian FM Lavrov: Those questioning viability of Russian-US agreements on Syria are calling for war. (Tass).


Those who cast doubt on the Russian-US agreements on Syria are in fact calling for war, not for peace, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday at a meeting with Co-Chairman of the Initiative to Reduce Nuclear Threat and member of the Supervisory Board of the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe Sam Nunn.

"Today there are many people who want to prevent the normal development of cooperation between Russia and the United States. There are even those who are trying to undermine the opportunities to promote the Russian-U.S. agreements and boost our cooperation on the most pressing issues of our time," the minister said.

"Literally on the day when Russia and the United States approved the joint initiative on the ceasefire in Syria, voices could be heard from the capitals of the US allies and from Washington which questioned the viability of this agreement," Lavrov said. "We want to say frankly that these voices are a call for war rather than for peace."

"I very much hope that politicians of your level with a responsible approach to developments will counter these negative trends and promote fair, equitable and mutually advantageous cooperation between our countries," the minister added.

President @RT_Erdogan openly challenges major powers, says #Turkey faces existential threat, won't stop supporting rebels in #Syria

— Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) February 24, 2016

Damascus: Groups violating ceasefire to be regarded as terrorist.

Damascus: Groups violating ceasefire to be regarded as terrorist. (Tass).

Damascus will regard as terrorist ones the groups refusing to observe the ceasefire among the rival parties involved in the intra-Syrian conflict, the Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Thursday.

"The armed groups refusing to observe the ceasefire in the country will be regarded [by the Syrian authorities] as terrorist," he said.

On Tuesday several groups affiliated with the so-called Free Syrian Army being engaged in the armed struggle against government troops declared they would not agree to observe the armistice. They also refused to accept truce that does not apply to Jabhat al-Nusra (terrorist group outlawed in Russia).

Under the concluded agreements ceasefire in Syria is to take effect on February 27. It does not include the terrorist groups Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra (both groups are outlawed in Russia).

The armistice proposal has been generally accepted by the authorities in Damascus and the main group of the Syrian opposition sponsored by Saudi Arabia. At the same time according to the Syrian Foreign Ministry, the Syrian army will continue the struggle against the IS and Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists and other similar groups, including those linked with Al-Qaeda.

ISIS willing to give up Raqqa city to Assad ?

ISIS willing to give up Raqqa city to Assad ? (Aawsat).

Mohammed Alloush, senior member of the Riyadh-based *High Negotiations Committee (HNC), on Feb.21, confirmed that ISIS has yielded around 25 villages, located in the rural areas of Aleppo, to the Assad regime.

ISIS withdrawing from the villages came as a result to the Saudi-Turkish warnings on sending ground troops into Syria. Alloush told Asharq Al-Awsat that there is news on ISIS willing to give up Raqqah city, which is ISIS’s Syrian headquarters, to the regime.

Alloush also added that ISIS giving up on the villages and handing them over to the Assad administration suggests the presence of security cooperation between the two.

On the other hand, the HNC will be holding a meeting in Riyadh today to deliberate on possible ways to agree on ceasefire and the beginning of a truce in Syria. The meeting came after U.S. Secretary John Kerry’s announcement at a press conference, held in Amman with his Jordanian peer Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh, on arriving at a temporary concession with the Russian FM Segery Lavrov for conditions on ending violence in Syria. Hmmm.........Sounds more like another trick by the Muslim Brotherhood gang to establish a link between Assad and ISIS  Read the full story here.

* 34 oppositional groups allied themselves as ‘the High Negotiation Committee’. This included, among others, Ahrar al-Sham and Jaysh al-Islam, but did not include Syrian Kurds and not include some moderate opposition members supported by Russia.
Apart from France and Saudi Arabia, also Turkey and Qatar supported that ‘High Negotiation Committee’.

Syria's Assad says he is ready for truce if 'terrorists' and their 'sponsors' do not exploit it.

Syria's Assad says he is ready for truce if  'terrorists' and their 'sponsors' do not exploit it. (AlAhram).

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Saturday he was ready for a ceasefire, on condition "terrorists" did not use a lull in fighting to their advantage and that countries backing insurgents halted support for them.


His comments were made as the Syrian opposition said it had agreed to the "possibility" of a temporary truce, provided there were guarantees Damascus's allies including Russia would cease fire, sieges were lifted and aid deliveries were allowed country-wide.

"We have said that we are ready to stop military operations, but the issue relates to more important factors ... such as preventing terrorists from using it to improve their positions," Assad told Spanish newspaper El Pais in an interview.

He also said any truce must ensure that "other countries, especially Turkey, are prevented from sending more terrorists and weapons, or any kind of logistical support".


Damascus refers to all insurgents fighting against the Syrian army and its allies as terrorists.
  He told El Pais his troops were now close to fully controlling the northern city of Aleppo and were advancing towards the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa province.

Once he has control of the country, Assad also said in the interview, the next step would be to form a national unity government that would lay the groundwork for a new constitution and general elections. Read the full story here.

Russia warns Syrian pres Assad to stay in line over ceasefire.

Russia warns Syrian pres Assad to stay in line over ceasefire. (AlAraby).

Russia’s envoy to the UN has warned Bashar al Assad not to step out of line with his most senior ally after comments by Syrian president seemed to snub efforts to cease violent hostilities.

"I heard President Assad's remarks on television... Of course they do not chime with the diplomatic efforts that Russia is undertaking”, Vitaly Churkin told Russia’s Kommersant newspaper.


"Russia has invested very seriously in this crisis, politically, diplomatically and now also militarily.. Therefore we would like Assad also to respond to this."

Churkin’s words come in response to an interview with AFP last week, in which Assad stubbornly vowed to retake all of the areas that his regime had lost.

The warning issued by the Russian diplomat is the first instance of a public disagreement between the two allies, who have kept in sync since increased cooperation last autumn.

For Assad, such words will likely hold some sway, as his alliance with Russia has been crucial in allowing him to retain power.

Since September, Russia has stepped up its support of the embattled president by launching airstrikes on what it claims are Islamic state group and other ‘terrorist’ targets.

In his interview, Churkin warned that Syria was "already on the brink of falling apart", and stressed that it is important that it, “follows Russia's leadership in resolving this crisis”, if Assad’s regime is to, “have a chance to come out of it in a dignified way."

"If they in some way stray from this path -- and this is my personal opinion -- a very difficult situation could arise. Including for themselves," he continued. Read the full story here.

Iran’s Larijani: "Unless Certain Sides Change Path, Syria talks will be a “joke"

Iran’s Larijani: "Unless Certain Sides Change Path, Syria talks will be a “joke". (IranFrontPage).

Speaker of Iran’s Parliament Ali Larijani said on Wednesday that if certain negotiating sides to the ongoing Syria talks in the Swiss city of Geneva do not change their approaches, continuation of talks would be ridiculous.

Certain countries sitting at the negotiating table to resolve the Syrian crisis pursue their own interests and make instrumental use of terrorism, Larijani said in a meeting with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier here in Tehran.

Unless their approaches are corrected, continuation of the Syria talks would be more like a “joke”, he stated.

“Unfortunately, there are certain countries in the region that do not play a positive role but provoke conflicts and help terrorism,” Larijani stressed.

He lashed out at the Saudi regime’s military approach in the Middle East, saying such an attitude would get nowhere just as the Americans could not achieve anything by invading Iraq and Afghanistan.

Steinmeier, for his part, referred to the unresolved crises and tensions that have escalated in the Middle East as what worries Berlin.

“I am sure Iran and Germany are keen to have regional issues resolved, because we have now experienced the sweet taste of bilateral ties,” he added.

Quoting materials from Iran Front Page is permitted only if the source is mentioned by name.

Video - Syria - After years of war, parts of Homs, crumbling & deserted. Footage shows extent of devastation.

After years of war, parts of Homs, #Syria, crumbling & deserted.
Footage shows extent of devastation @Channel4Newshttps://t.co/tUirJ6pfuO

— Christian Thiels (@ThielsChristian) February 3, 2016

Four new Sukhoi Su-35S fighters strengthen Russian aviation group in Syria.

Four new Sukhoi Su-35S fighters strengthen Russian aviation group in Syria. (RBTH).

The Russian military command has decided to test the brand-new Sukhoi Su-35S fighter jet in a combat environment for the first time ever, the newspaper Kommersant wrote on Feb. 1.

"These are the four planes delivered to the Russian Aerospace Forces by the aircraft plant based in Komsomolsk-on-Amur in October-November of last year," the newspaper said, adding that "the information was unofficial."


According to the information posted by the newspaper, the planes were initially attached to the 23rd fighter aircraft regiment of the 303rd guard combined aviation division of the 11th Air Force and Air Defense Army of the Eastern Military district stationed at the Dzengi airfield and relocated to the Privolzhsky airfield in Astrakhan in a later period.

"Several days ago the Su-35S jets departed from Astrakhan, flew over the Caspian Sea, Iran and Iraq and arrived in the Hmeimim airbase," the report said.  Hmmm........Someone expecting Turkish trouble?

Su-35S flight from #Russia on #Hmeymim airbase #Syria pic.twitter.com/igR6IdED08

— Военный Советник (@miladvisor) January 31, 2016

Russia would like to test its new #Su35S stationed at Hamemeen airport in real combat. So far only SU 35 carried mock fight.s @kroslav

— Elijah J. Magnier (@EjmAlrai) February 1, 2016