Successful fight against terrorism behind positive intl. overtures to Syria: FM Mikdad

Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mikdad says major gains made by government forces in battles against foreign-sponsored Takfiri terrorist groups have resulted in positive international overtures to his country.

“The achievements of Damascus in the war on terrorism changed the international political atmosphere towards the Syrian nation. The change in international positions towards Damascus is the result of sacrifices made by Syrian people to preserve their national sovereignty, might and unity of their homeland,” Mikdad said in an exclusive interview with state-run Syria TV and al-Ikhbariyah Syria television stations on Thursday night.

He added that the main purpose of the ongoing aggression on Syria is to change political realities on the ground; but the Damascus government has well managed to foil such plot.

Mikdad underscored that the Damascus government will not abandon even one iota of Syrian territory, and that US and Turkish occupation forces must withdraw.

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The Syrian foreign minister went on to say that the fight against terrorism will continue until the entire Syrian lands, including the northwestern province of Idlib and the Jazira region, are purged of the menace.

He also called for further expansion of ties among Arab states in the face of existing challenges, noting that Syria’s agreement to the transfer of Egyptian natural gas to Lebanon comes in light of Damascus’ stances towards the brotherly Lebanese nation.

Last week, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad held a phone call with Jordan’s King Abdullah II for the first time since foreign-backed militancy broke out in Syria a decade ago.

The top Syrian diplomat highlighted that the re-opening of the Nasib border crossing between Syria and Jordan will help improve Damascus-Amman economic relations.

 Mikdad then pointed to various rounds of sanctions imposed on his country, arguing that the West has exploited economic blockade as a terrorist weapon against Syrian people.

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Since 2011, Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy, leading to the emergence of Daesh and other terrorist groups in the Arab country.

The Syrian government has also repeatedly condemned the US and the EU for waging economic terrorism on the country through their unilateral sanctions, holding them responsible for the suffering of the Syrian people, especially now that the country is grappling with a deadly coronavirus outbreak.

Damascus has also been critical of the United Nations for remaining silent on the destructive role of the US and EU, among other parties supporting terrorism in Syria.

Elsewhere in his remarks on Thursday night, Mikdad touched down on the Syrian chemical file, and emphasized that Damascus voluntarily joined the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013, has fulfilled relevant obligations and completed disposal of its chemical weapons stockpile.

The Western media and governments have repeatedly accused the Syrian government of using chemical weapons against its own citizens in the war against the terrorists.

This is while Syria surrendered its stockpile of chemical weapons in 2014 to a joint mission led by the United States and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which oversaw the destruction of the weaponry. It has also consistently denied using chemical weapons.

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On April 14, 2018, the US, Britain, and France carried out a string of airstrikes against Syria over a suspected chemical weapons attack on the city of Douma.

That alleged attack was reported by the so-called civil defense group White Helmets, which published videos showing them purportedly treating survivors.

The White Helmets group, which claims to be a humanitarian NGO, is known for its coordination with terror outfits in Syria to carry out staged chemical attacks in order to incriminate Syrian government forces and fabricate pretexts for military strikes by a US-led military coalition present in Syria since 2014.

Washington and its allies blamed Damascus for the Douma attack, a charge  the Syrian government strongly denies. 

Terrorists planning false-flag chemical attack in Syria’s Idlib, Russia warns

The Russian Defense Ministry has warned that members of the Takfiri Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) terrorist outfit together with the so-called civil defense group White Helmets are planning to stage yet another false- flag chemical attack against civilians in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib to implicate Damascus.

“The Russian military has repeatedly received information within a month that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorists are preparing to carry out a provocation in the southern part of the Idlib de-escalation zone,” deputy head of the ministry's Center for the Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria, Rear Admiral Alexander Vadim Kulit, said on Thursday.

He added that the Takfiris intend to stage a false-flag chemical attack in the villages of Kansafra and Kdura, and White Helmets representatives would simultaneously film the incident in a bid to incriminate Syrian government forces and accuse the troops of using banned munitions in the populated areas.

The White Helmets group, which claims to be a humanitarian NGO, is known for its coordination with terror outfits in Syria to carry out staged chemical attacks in order to falsely incriminate the Syrian government forces and fabricate pretexts for military strikes by a US-led military coalition present in Syria since 2014.

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