Interfax: Russia set to work constructively at Vienna meeting; calls for regime change in Syria will not lead to success – Lavrov

File Photo of Bashar al-Assad and Sergei Lavrov

BOCHAROV RUCHEI (Sochi). Nov 10 (Interfax) – Adherence to abstract ideas about the need to change the regime in Syria will have no success at the Vienna meeting; Russia is nevertheless expecting it to be constructive, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said.

“If, instead of concrete work on these two issues (forming a list of terrorist organizations and a list of opposition forces), someone will again put forward abstract ideas such as ‘let us change the regime and everything will sort itself out on its own’, then this meeting will achieve no success, of course,” Lavrov told reporters on Tuesday.

The key to success at the upcoming Vienna meeting is to bring full clarity to the list of terrorist organizations and the list of opposition forces for negotiations, he said. “But the Russian side is expecting its constructive work. We have long sent the partners our proposals both on the terrorist list and on the list of the united opposition; they too promised to respond long ago, but somehow they are running a bit late, and we have not received anything yet,” the minister said.

He said he hopes that the reply from the partners will be received in the coming days. “Otherwise, it will be very difficult to talk about anything at the Vienna meeting,” he said.

[featured image is file photo]

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