Vassily Nebenzia says leading global powers all believe that the Middle-Eastern nation’s territorial integrity should be preserved
All members of the United Nations Security Council seem to be of the opinion that Syria’s territorial integrity should be preserved after former president Bashar Assad was deposed by armed opposition groups, Russia’s permanent representative to the body, Vassily Nebenzia, has said.
A number of armed opposition groups launched an offensive late last month, with Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS) leading the charge. With the government forces offering little or no resistance, militants swiftly seized several major cities, eventually taking the capital, Damascus, on Saturday.
In a televised address the following day, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani proclaimed victory, with Assad fleeing to Russia.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Nebenzia said the UN Security Council “was more or less united on the need to preserve Syria’s territorial integrity and unity [as well as] to ensure the civilian population’s security and to deliver humanitarian aid to those in need.”
Deputy US Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood similarly stated that “just about everyone spoke about the need for Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence to be respected, and concern about the humanitarian situation,” indicating that the council was working on a joint statement.
“The intention is for the council to speak with one voice on the situation in Syria,” the US diplomat explained, as quoted by The Guardian.
According to AFP, member states held a closed-door meeting on Monday to discuss the situation in Syria.
That same day, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted that “Syria’s territorial integrity must absolutely be protected.” Ankara is believed to have supported some of the Syrian opposition factions that ousted Assad over the weekend.
India’s foreign ministry urged all parties involved to “work towards preserving the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity” of Syria.
Commenting on the latest developments in the country, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov acknowledged on Monday that Moscow had been taken by surprise by the rapid fall of Assad’s government – a sentiment shared by the US.
“Currently, we are witnessing a period of transformation and extreme instability,” Peskov said, adding that “it will take time before we can engage in serious conversations with those who hold power.”
He also revealed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had granted the former Syrian leader protection. According to the Kremlin spokesman, Assad agreed to step down following negotiations with armed opposition groups, and instructed officials to ensure a “peaceful transfer of power.”
