Turkey, Saudi Arabia unlikely to launch ground operations in Syria: Lavrov

MOSCOW – Reuters

Turkey and Saudi Arabia are unlikely to launch ground operations in Syria in the light of Russian air forces already stationed in the country, RIA news agency cited Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying on May 4.

Speaking about the crisis in Syria, Lavrov said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is not an ally for Russia to the extent Turkey is for the United States.

“Assad is not an ally for us. Yes, we support him in the fight against terror and in preserving the Syrian state,” he told RIA in an interview. 

“But he is not an ally in the sense Turkey is an ally for the United States.” 

Lavrov said Russia sees Syria peace talks in Geneva resuming this month but the right conditions had not yet been met for direct negotiations due to the “whims” of the opposition High Negotiations Committee and other countries including Turkey. 

Lavrov also said a meeting of the International Syria Support Group could be convened in the coming weeks.