Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
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Moscow, SANA – The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the U.S.-Turkish agreement to train, equip, and arm what Washington calls “moderate opposition” is a continuation of the previous course of supporting those who want to use force to reach their goals, neglecting the victims of conflict and the suffering of civilians.
In a statement on Friday, the Ministry said that this agreement entails training Syrian armed units belonging to “moderate opposition” in Turkey as part of a program with a budget of USD 500 million launched by the U.S. which entails training 5,000 opposition fighters per year by 400 professional U.S. trainers in Turkey, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
The Ministry said that this information raises questions about the public statements that the Syrian crisis must be resolved by political means while in fact the previous approach of supporting those who want to reach their goals by use of force, asserting that the announced goal of this agreement, which is allegedly to have them fight ISIS, is dubious, and ignores the Syrian Army as usual when in fact it is the true force that is combating terrorism.
The statement noted that there’s no clear indication as to where these fighters will be active and which side they will take.
The Ministry reiterated Russia’s determination to continue working towards an urgent political settlement in Syria, saying that communications will be held with opposition groups within the next few days and new consultative meetings have been scheduled similar to the one held in Moscow in January.
Hazem Sabbagh
