Muscat-Sana
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated that the goal of his country's military operation in Ukraine is to protect the Donbass population from neo-Nazis and to ensure that Kyiv, supported by the West, does not turn into a source of a military threat to Russia, noting that this operation will be expanded to fully achieve its goals.
Lavrov said during a press conference with his Omani counterpart Badr bin Hamad bin Hamoud al-Busaidi in Muscat today: We discussed the entirety of bilateral relations, including political dialogue and economic and commercial cooperation, and we have identical or close positions on most international issues, and we value Muscat's objective and balanced position on the crisis in Syria.
Lavrov said that the Omani side was briefed on the developments of the Russian military operation in Ukraine and its geopolitical dimensions, pointing out that this operation will be expanded to achieve all its goals of protecting Donbass residents from neo-Nazis and ensuring that Kyiv, supported by the West, does not turn into a source of military threat to Russia.
Lavrov indicated that Moscow does not want a war to break out in Europe, but the West is the one who talks about the necessity of defeating Russia, indicating that the military operation in Ukraine will force the West to stop pushing towards a unipolar world.
Lavrov pointed out that Russia has opened humanitarian corridors on a daily basis, but the Ukrainian extremists have prevented civilians from leaving the areas of operations, explaining that the United Nations missed an opportunity to resolve the Ukrainian crisis peacefully during the past seven years by ignoring Kyiv's failure to implement the Minsk agreements.
For his part, Al-Busaidi said: There are two important bilateral agreements with Russia that we are close to achieving, one related to the avoidance of double taxation and the second to the abolition of visas for citizens of the two countries, adding: We call on all parties concerned with the Ukrainian crisis to find a way to resolve the crisis peacefully and support the positions of friendly countries that take decisive decisions to restore peace.
Follow Sana's news on Telegram https://t.me/SyrianArabNewsAgency