Iran in Syria at Damascus request, Lavrov tells Saudi FM

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has dismissed his Saudi counterpart’s allegation of Iran's interference in Syria, saying the Islamic Republic's advisers are in the Arab country at the request of the Damascus government.

According to Press TV, during a joint press conference with Lavrov in Moscow on Wednesday, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir accused Iran of interfering in the region, including in Syria, and said the Iranian military advisers needed to leave the Arab country.

He also expressed Riyadh’s opposition to the presence of fighters from the Lebanese resistance movement of Hezbollah in Syria.  

In response to Jubeir’s remarks, Lavrov said that the Iranian advisers and Hezbollah fighters were present in Syria at the request of the Syrian government.

The top Russian diplomat stressed that within the framework of the Astana talks, Iran, along with Russia and Turkey, was one of the guarantors of a ceasefire agreement between the warring sides in Syria, which came into force in December 2016.

Lavrov added that Iran had also declared its commitment to UN Security Council Resolution 2254, which was unanimously adopted in December 2015 to help bring an end to the conflict in Syria.

He, however, said that only the Syrian people were entitled to determine the fate of their country.

SS