Russian and Saudi foreign ministers clash over Iran, Hezbollah
Tensions rise during press conference in Moscow between the Russian and Saudi foreign ministers after Sergey Lavrov dismisses Saudi counterpart’s slamming of Hezbollah, Iran and Assad regime.
Serious signs of disagreement were exposed Wednesday between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir after Lavrov stated that Russia did not consider Hezbollah a terrorist group or Iran a dangerous influence.
During a press conference held by the two in Moscow, the Saudi Minister called for an end to Iran's involvement in the Syrian civil war, adding that Hezbollah has no place in Syria—or anywhere else.
Responding to the comments, Lavrov reminded al-Jubeir of the Kremlin's stance on the matter. “As far as the presence of Iran and Hezbollah in Syria is concerned, you know well we do not consider Hezbollah a terrorist organization,” he said. “We proceed from the understanding that both, just as Russia’s aerospace group, are in Syria at the invitation of the country’s legitimate government.
“We know Saudi Arabia’s stance and it is clear that our approaches to this are not identical, to put it mildly. But we are unanimous that a settlement of the Syrian crisis requires the involvement of all Syrian parties without any exceptions, and of all foreign actors that can exercise influence on the internal parties," said Lavrov, adding "except for the terrorist organizations declared as such by the UN Security Council, of course.”
“Besides, within the framework of the Astana process Iran, alongside Turkey and Russia, is one of the three guarantors of ceasefire, which is of crucial importance at this stage,” Lavrov said.
The Saudi Minister accused Russia of continually violating the ceasefire in the war-torn country, admantly declaring that "the Syrian regime must pay the price of the chemical attack, and must prove that it has no chemical weapons."
Al-Jubeir's statement was made following France's Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault statement that there is "no doubt" that Sarin gas was used in the Idlib chemical attack.
The Saudi minister added that Hezbollah is acting all across the Middle East on behalf of Iran. "We are working to put an end to Iran and Hezbollah's involvement in the region," he stated frankly.
"Bashar al-Assad has no place in Syria's future, and Hezbollah has no place anywhere in the world," al-Jubeir added.
Despite the differences of opinion, the Saudi Minister expressed optimism about the peace talks in Kazakhstan, noting that Saudi Arabia and Russia agree to "respect countries' sovereignty" and even praising Russia's stance on the Palestinian issue.
(Translated & edited by Lior Mor)
