Manpads obtained by Islamist terrorists: 'No one knows when and where these weapons will be used next, either.' Lavrov.

Lavrov on Manpads in the possession of Islamist terrorists: 'No one knows when and where these weapons will be used next, either.'(Mid.Ru) .

Question: Can you comment on the regular media reports about modern weapons making it into the hands of terrorist groups in the Middle East and North Africa?

Sergey Lavrov: Apparently, our Western colleagues have yet to fully realise the implications of their recent military operations in the Middle East and Africa. They believed they would destroy the Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi regimes, and that democracy would instantly prevail in Iraq and Libya. Instead, these nations are now torn by chaos. Abandoned military depots and arsenals were looted. All weapons, including MANPADS, and hundreds of tonnes of ammunition, went missing. Now, those countries are shattered by fratricidal wars with no end in sight. Unfortunately, this situation was quite predictable, and the President repeatedly warned about it.

In Libya alone, at least 500 Strela and Igla MANPADS went missing. The first bell rang in Mali, where, in 2012, militants shot down a government Mig-21 using a MANPAD. No one knows which terrorist groups may have got their hands on these weapons, which are most dangerous for civil aviation.

Is it ISIS, Jabhat al-Nusra, or Al-Qaeda? No one knows when and where these weapons will be used next, either. It’s unlikely that anyone in Iraq, with hundreds of thousands of casualties and millions now living in a country torn by civil war, experienced any relief from learning that the British have found out that then Prime Minister Tony Blair actually deceived the parliament by pushing through a resolution to have the British Army participate in the invasion of Iraq alongside the United States.

Of course, the consequences could have been even more devastating, if three years ago Russia had failed to prevent the US attack on Syria, having persuaded al-Assad to get rid of Syria’s chemical weapons. Even the thought of who may have ended up with MANPADS and other conventional weapons, as well as stocks of these weapons of mass destruction, is dreadful.

Israel successfully tests anti-missile system for commercial planes - https://t.co/bV7yT0C3Pf

— MFS - The Other News (@MFS001) August 25, 2016

Lavrov: Frontiers of Russia’s Arctic zone can only be expanded.

Lavrov: Frontiers of Russia’s Arctic zone can only be expanded. (Tass).

The boundaries of the Russian Arctic zone can only be adjusted as regards their expansion, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, delivering a lecture about the situation in the world at the National Educational Youth Forum "Territory of Meanings on the Klyazma."

He answered a question from the audience whether Russia, the United States and Canada intend to give their part of the Arctic to China.

"If the United States and Canada want to give part of their Arctic zone to someone - well, they are adults," he said, laughing. "But our Arctic zone - it’s our Arctic zone, and now its boundary is being adjusted as regards its expansion."

According to Lavrov, Russia has submitted a final bid for the expansion of the limits of its continental shelf in the Arctic.

"It has already been submitted to the UN Commission and will be considered in the next six months or a year", he said.

In August 2015, Russia filed a new bid for the expansion of the limits of its Arctic continental shelf through the inclusion into it of the Lomonosov submerged ridge and some other sections of the Arctic Ocean floor.

The Convention on the Law of the Sea enables a country to broaden its economic zone on the condition that the seafloor outside its border is a natural continuation of the continent’s fringe. Beside Russia, making claims to the areas under the masses of the Arctic Ocean water are Canada, Denmark, Norway, and the US. Hmmmm......Putin will have Trudeau for appetizer. 

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

Video - Sergei Lavrov, shaking his head, adjusting his glasses, and muttering to himself, "imbeciles,"

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov prompted a wave of social media buzz this week after being filmed swearing under his breath during a press conference in Moscow with his Saudi counterpart.

Lavrov and Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubier met Tuesday to discuss how to resolve the worsening Syrian civil war, and the fate of President Bashar al-Assad. The two men disagreed how to deal with the embattled president, as Russia believes Assad, an ally of President Vladimir Putin, should be involved in a coalition against the Islamic State, but Saudi Arabia wants him removed from power.

While the Saudi top diplomat spoke, Lavrov was seen shaking his head, adjusting his glasses, and muttering to himself, "[expletive] imbeciles," according to translators, reported CNBC.

Video - Russia's humanitarian convoy heads to E. Ukraine under agreement with Kiev

Video - Russia's humanitarian convoy heads to E. Ukraine under agreement with Kiev. (RT).

Kiev says it's ready to accept the humanitarian aid being sent from Russia, after Moscow agreed to a Ukrainian presence in the convoy.

Update on Convoy by Min For AffairsLavrov.



Question: Could you please comment on the status of the delivery of Russian humanitarian relief aid to the people of southeastern Ukraine?

Sergey Lavrov: In the past few days, we have been addressing the humanitarian crisis in southeastern Ukraine, as instructed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

We drafted a plan in cooperation with the Ukrainian authorities, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the representatives of other international organisations, including the UN and the OSCE, and the plan was finalised yesterday.

At the same time, we followed all of Ukraine’s requirements without exception, including the route suggested by Kiev, although this route is much longer than the other routes used for delivering humanitarian relief aid. Nevertheless, we have accepted the route which suits the government in Kiev, we have agreed to install Ukrainian vehicle license plates on Ukrainian territory, and we have agreed that not only representatives from the ICRC and the OSCE but also Ukrainian officials should ride in the trucks carrying the humanitarian relief consignment. Everything has been agreed. 

We have sent an official note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, requesting permission to set out, and the convoy has already set out. Today we received a note confirming that Ukraine was ready to accept this assistance. 

I hope very much that certain public statements voiced by a few officials in Kiev today that demand new terms will be disavowed, and that they will not hinder the implementation of the agreement reached between the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the ICRC. ICRC representatives will meet the convoy at the Ukrainian border and in a populated area that has been agreed with the Ukrainian authorities. They will inspect the consignment, and will ride with the convoy to its final destination, primarily in the Lugansk Region.

Question: Does anyone plan to reload the entire humanitarian relief consignment, as has been noted today?

Sergey Lavrov: The issue of reloading the consignment from all 287 trucks onto those hired by the ICRC was raised during our talks with Ukraine. For obvious reasons, they decided against this due to the added difficulty and expense. 

As I said, the consignment will be inspected at the Ukrainian port of entry. Representatives of the OSCE, the ICRC and Ukrainian authorities will ride with the convoy. I hope that there will be no complications.

Here is one important thing (we are strongly relying on the assurances given to us by the Ukrainian authorities): they guarantee the convoy’s safe passage through the territory controlled by Ukrainian law enforcement agencies.

Naturally, we expect the resistance forces to act accordingly to this humanitarian project, and we have sent out certain messages to them. I am confident that there will be no mistakes on their part.

They are in an area where residents need urgent relief. It is already hard to deny this. The Western media is beginning to offer detailed coverage of the situation, although grudgingly, and to show the horrors facing the civilian population.

Just yesterday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued a new bulletin assessing the rather sad humanitarian situation in the Lugansk and Donetsk regions. Thousands of people have been killed, and thousands more wounded.

There is no electricity or drinking water, it is impossible to ensure the operation of hospitals, retirement homes and other social infrastructure facilities. Even those who previously voiced a rather restrained stance on these developments are beginning to tell the truth, although belatedly. I would like to thank the Russian journalists who have made a tremendous contribution so that the truth can, at last, resound from the various pages of newspapers, TV screens and international organisations.

Lavrov: Iran and Turkey should participate in solving Middle East disputes

Lavrov: Iran and Turkey should participate in solving Middle East disputes. (Taz).

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Iran and Turkey should participate in settling problems in the Middle East region, IRNA reported.

Lavrov told reporters here on Sunday that Iran and Turkey are two great Islamic countries and their active participation in settling problems in the Middle East is necessary.

Referring to necessity of participation and cooperation of Arab countries in solving regional problems such as ones in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, Lavrov said if we want our policies in the Middle East show some results, we should call non-Arab countries of the region like Iran and Turkey, which have progressive positions in the Islamic world, to participate in settling problems in the Middle East.

He called Syrian issue as the most crucial problem in the region, which has lasted long and has attracted world community attention.

The Russian FM continued that Iraq and Libyaˈs problems have been added recently to the critical issues in the Middle East.

He said that the issue of terrorism and fight against terrorist groups have priority, adding that all efforts should be made to stop dominance of terrorists in the region.

Lavrov referred to activities of the terrorist group called ˈDaeshˈ as the main problem of the region and a threat to Iraq and Syria.

He underlined necessity of fighting against terrorist group of Daesh and called for collaboration of world countries to confront threats of the group and said that Russia is interested in establishment of stability in the region.Hmmmm.....Great that's like asking the Borgias and the Sopranos to help solve Don Corleone's probs.