In his wide-ranging interview with TASS news service on Dec. 30, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pointed to the elephant in the room in the rapid changes in Syria: The U.S. had “strangled” the Syrian economy, creating the conditions for its government to be overthrown.
Lavrov was asked, “How will the situation in Syria develop after the change of government? Why has it happened so rapidly? Is it true that a redistribution of the spheres of influence is underway in the Middle East?”
Russia, in general, is “closely monitoring the developments in Syria. It would be premature to make far-reaching conclusions regarding them now,” Lavrov began. However, he added, a key aggravating factor in the government’s rapid fall was its “inability to meet the fundamental demands of the people amid a drawn-out civil conflict.” Syrians had expected an improvement in their lives after the government had defeated international terrorism, but that did not happen.
Washington “bears a great deal of blame” for that, Lavrov said, because Washington “has effectively occupied the resource-rich northeastern part of Syria and is putting serious sanctions pressure on Damascus together with a coalition of its satellites…. This line for strangling the Syrian economy stirred up social discontent. In that situation, the Syrian authorities had to take unpopular measures, such as cutting or cancelling subsidies for socially significant products and services. Protest sentiments were growing in society, and public support for the government was decreasing.”
As for some alleged “redistribution of spheres of influence” going on, Lavrov spoke more bluntly:
“The dramatic and tragic events we are witnessing there have largely been precipitated by the United States’ irresponsible and destructive actions. Trying to maintain its influence in that part of the world, Washington actively interfered in the internal affairs of Arab countries and aggressively drew new dividing lines there. Iraq and Libya are still trying to clear up the consequences of the Americans and their satellites’ reckless behavior. Another source of chronic tensions is the recurring Palestinian-Israeli conflict, in which Washington tried to act as the sole intermediary.
“A combination of the above factors led to the destabilization of the military-political situation in the Middle East in October 2023. Since then, the arc of violence has spread from the zone of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to Lebanon and the Red Sea. Confrontation between Iran and Israel has reached a dangerous level. I have already mentioned the situation in Syria.”
Russia’s approach is different, he said, describing a policy similar to China’s, although he did not put it that way. “Russia has always tried to find solutions to the regional conflicts that would primarily suit the conflicting sides. The Middle Eastern states themselves must play the leading part in normalizing the situation. We are ready to provide assistance to them,” he affirmed.
