Russian Foreign Ministry: Al-Assad abandoned his post after negotiations with parties to Syrian conflict

MOSCOW, Dec. 08 (YPA) – The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has abandoned his position and directed the peaceful transfer of power after negotiations with a number of parties to the Syrian armed conflict.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in its statement, “We are following the tragic events in Syria with great concern.”

The ministry confirmed that Russia did not participate in these negotiations.

The ministry called on all concerned parties to refrain from using violence and to resolve all governance issues in Syria through political means and added that “Russia is in contact with all Syrian opposition factions.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry called for “respecting the opinions of all ethnic and religious sects in Syrian society” and expressed Moscow’s support for “efforts aimed at a comprehensive political process on the basis of UN Security Council Resolution No. 2254, which was adopted unanimously.”

The ministry expressed hope that the United Nations and all concerned parties will consider this trend and emphasized the ongoing measures taken to ensure the safety of Russian citizens in Syria.

It also noted that “Russian military bases in Syria are on high alert, and at the present time they are not exposed to any serious security threat.”

In a brief statement on state television issued this morning, Syrian opposition factions announced the liberation of Damascus and the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad after their armed forces entered the city, while al-Assad fled to an unknown destination.

YPA