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05.05.2017 (18:11)

A briefing for media representatives on the topic “Principles for the implementation of the memorandum signed in Astana on the creation of de-escalation zones on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic” was held at the National Center for Education and Training of the Russian Federation.

The National Defense Management Center of the Russian Federation held a briefing for media representatives on the topic “Principles for the implementation of the memorandum signed in Astana on the creation of de-escalation zones on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic.”

Performance
Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation
Lieutenant General Alexander Fomin

Good afternoon, dear ladies and gentlemen!

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation is holding a briefing on the main provisions and principles of implementation of the Memorandum signed in Astana on the creation of de-escalation zones on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic.

The event is attended by the head of the Main Operations Directorate - the first deputy head General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Colonel General Sergei Fedorovich Rudskoy and Deputy Chief of the Main Operations Directorate, Lieutenant General Stanislav Israpilovich Gadzhimagomedov.

As you know, yesterday, following the results of negotiations that took place over two days in the capital of Kazakhstan, the plenipotentiary representatives of Russia, Iran and Turkey signed a Memorandum on the creation of de-escalation zones in Syria. The memorandum comes into force tomorrow, i.e. May 6 from 00:00.

First, I would like to briefly inform you about how this agreement was prepared, who participated in this work, and what ideas were included in it.

The document was prepared by the Russian Ministry of Defense on the direct instructions of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, to consolidate the cessation of hostilities in Syria.

The adoption of the document was preceded by a thorough preparatory work with all participants in the negotiation process.

Issues of political settlement in Syria were repeatedly discussed by the President of the Russian Federation with the leadership of Turkey, the United States and other states.

In particular, the issue of de-escalation zones was discussed during negotiations between the leaders of Russia and Turkey on May 3 in Sochi.

The Russian Minister of Defense held working meetings with the defense ministers of Iran, Turkey, Syria, and Israel.

Constant contacts were carried out through intelligence services and foreign policy departments. A lot of work has been done with the Syrian leadership and leaders of armed opposition formations in order to convince them of the need to adopt practical steps to de-escalate the conflict.

The constructive attitude of Iran and Turkey, which supported the idea of ​​strengthening the cessation of hostilities, played an important role in the prompt preparation of the Memorandum for signing.

The position of the United States, which welcomed steps to reduce violence in Syria, improve the humanitarian situation and create conditions for a political settlement of the conflict, had a positive impact on the issue of creating de-escalation zones.

The signing of the Memorandum was supported by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who welcomed the decisions to stop the use of weapons and expand the possibilities of humanitarian support to the population.

We highly appreciate the efforts of the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General Stefano De Mistura, who with a group of highly qualified UN experts personally arrived in Astana to facilitate the success of the negotiations.

The memorandum is a landmark document, the implementation of which will make it possible on the ground to separate the opposition from the international terrorist groups ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra.

Safe, unhindered humanitarian access to the de-escalation zones will be ensured, which will make it possible to provide the population with medical, food and other necessary assistance.

The restoration of infrastructure facilities, primarily water and energy supplies, will be organized.

All this will create conditions for the safe, voluntary return of refugees and internally displaced persons.

But the most important thing is that the implementation of the Memorandum will make it possible to stop the hostilities of the conflicting parties and actually stop civil war in Syria.

That is why the document has important for a political settlement in the Syrian Arab Republic.

Not everyone likes it. At the same time, its signing was supported by all the main interested players: the UN, the US administration, the leadership Saudi Arabia and other countries, which is a certain guarantee of its implementation.

Now I would like to give the floor to Colonel General Sergei Fedorovich Rudsky, who will talk in more detail about the goals and objectives of the Memorandum, as well as the measures the implementation of which is provided for by the document.

Performance
Head of the Main Operations Directorate
General Staff of the RF Armed Forces
Colonel General Sergei Rudsky

Good afternoon

The command of the Russian group of forces carried out a set of measures that ensured the creation of favorable conditions for the signing of the Memorandum.

From 00:00 on May 1, the use of Russian Aerospace Forces aviation in areas corresponding to the de-escalation zones defined by the Memorandum was stopped.

On May 2-3, the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Warring Parties, together with the leadership of the Syrian Arab Republic, organized the delivery of a humanitarian convoy of the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to the city of Douma in the Eastern Ghouta region.

Escort 51 truck with food and medicine was carried out by the military police unit of the Russian Armed Forces. The security of the convoy was constantly monitored by four unmanned aerial vehicles.

At the same time, during the passage of a humanitarian convoy through a checkpoint on the demarcation line, Russian military personnel identified, neutralized and handed over to representatives of the Syrian security service a suicide bomber who had 10 kilograms of explosives and a grenade with him.

The memorandum provides for the creation of four de-escalation zones in the Syrian Arab Republic.

The first, most extensive, in northern Syria, covers the province of Idlib, as well as the bordering northeastern regions of the province of Latakia, the western regions of the province of Aleppo and the northern regions of the province of Hama with a population of more than one million people. This zone is controlled by armed formations with a total number of 14.5 thousand people.

The second is located in the north of Homs province. It included the cities of Er-Rastan and Tel-Bisa, as well as nearby areas controlled by opposition units numbering up to 3 thousand militants. About 180 thousand civilians live in these areas.

The third is Eastern Ghouta. In this area, armed groups number about 9 thousand people.

About 690 thousand civilians live in Eastern Ghouta, for whose unimpeded movement the Syrian authorities have already deployed eight checkpoints. Many residents go to Damascus to work in the morning and return home unhindered in the evening.

This zone does not include the Qabun region, which is completely controlled by Jabgat al-Nusra militants and from where constant shelling of Damascus is carried out, including Russian embassy. The operation to destroy terrorists in the area will continue.

The fourth is in southern Syria in the areas of the provinces of Deira and Quneitra bordering Jordan. This zone is mainly controlled by detachments of the so-called “Southern Front” with a total number of up to 15 thousand people. Up to 800 thousand civilians live in this area.

If necessary, depending on the development of the situation, the Memorandum allows for the formation of additional de-escalation zones.

Within the boundaries of the de-escalation zones, hostilities between government forces and armed opposition formations that have already joined or will join the cessation of hostilities cease.

This applies to the use of any type of weapons, including air strikes.

Particular attention in the Memorandum is paid to ensuring control over compliance with the cessation of hostilities.

To prevent incidents and military clashes between conflicting parties, security zones are created along the borders of de-escalation zones, which include observation posts to monitor compliance with the ceasefire regime and checkpoints to ensure the movement of civilians without weapons, delivery humanitarian aid and promoting economic activity.

The operation of checkpoints and observation points, as well as the management of security zones, will be carried out by personnel and formations of Russia, Turkey and Iran. By mutual agreement guarantor countries may involve the forces of other parties.

Currently, the command of the Russian group, under the leadership of the General Staff, is calculating the required number of checkpoints and observation posts, as well as the forces and means to support their activities.

Within two weeks, a Joint Working Group will be created from representatives of the guarantor countries, which, by June 4, 2017, will submit for approval the exact boundaries of de-escalation zones and security zones, as well as maps for separating armed opposition formations from terrorist groups.

I would like to emphasize that the signing of the Memorandum on the creation of de-escalation zones in the Syrian Arab Republic does not mean the end of the fight against ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists in Syria.

The guarantor countries undertake to take all necessary measures to continue the fight against the formations of these and other related terrorist organizations in de-escalation zones, as well as to assist government forces and the armed opposition in the fight against militants in other areas of Syria.

The forces of government forces released as a result of the establishment of de-escalation zones will be sent to continue the offensive against ISIS forces in central and eastern Syria, and to liberate areas along the Euphrates River.

The Russian Aerospace Forces will support these actions.

Thank you for your attention.

A.V. Fomin: Now the floor is given to Lieutenant General Gadzhimagomedov Stanislav Israpilovich, who will talk about the details of the negotiation process in Astana.

Performance
Deputy Head of the Main Operations Directorate
General Staff of the RF Armed Forces
Lieutenant General Stanislav Gadzhimagomedov

Ladies and gentlemen!

The effectiveness of the negotiations in Astana was facilitated by active preliminary work with our partners. For these purposes, a working group of the Russian Ministry of Defense held a working meeting with the Syrian leadership on April 25 in Damascus, and with representatives of Turkey and leaders of armed opposition groups on April 26 in Ankara.

During the meetings, we explained in detail to our partners our approaches to creating security zones, the procedure for monitoring compliance with agreements, organizing humanitarian access, and restoring peaceful life.

At the same time, delegations from the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation carried out similar work in Tehran and Amman.

Already during the preliminary work, we managed to enlist the support of our initiatives by the guarantor countries and the warring parties.

The events carried out ensured a constructive mood among representatives of Turkey, Iran, the UN, the Syrian government and the leaders of the armed opposition who arrived in the Kazakh capital for the international meeting.

Certain difficulties during the negotiations were caused by the lack of trust between representatives of the Syrian government and the opposition. But thanks to the coordinated actions of the delegations of the guarantor countries, targeted work with the opposition and the government delegation, it was possible to reach acceptable solutions.

Despite the desire of all delegations to sign the document, the initial positions of the parties were radically different. First of all, this concerned the issues of ensuring the safety of the civilian population in de-escalation zones and organizing control over the implementation of ceasefire agreements by the parties to the conflict.

The peculiarity of the negotiations in Astana is that the opposition is not taking part in them from politicians and emigrants, but from field commanders of the formations who actually control the situation “on the ground.”

Despite their confrontation with government forces, these people are aware of their responsibility for the future of a united Syrian state.

In the course of fairly frank negotiations, common approaches to stabilizing the situation in Syria were developed. It was possible to agree on a Memorandum with 27 field commanders detachments operating directly in de-escalation zones.

An important role in reaching agreements was played by the constructive position of our partners from Iran and Turkey, who, as guarantor countries, assumed obligations to ensure a cessation of hostilities.

The significant contribution of the Special Envoy is especially noted Secretary General UN Stefan de Mistura, who, during the most tense moments of the negotiations, held several personal meetings with the opposition and convinced them of the importance of the Memorandum for stabilizing the situation in Syria.

It is also important that the results of Astana are considered by Stefan de Mistura as a significant contribution to the promotion of political dialogue in Geneva.

Significant assistance was provided by UN experts with extensive experience in peacekeeping, their practical recommendations, were fully taken into account when developing the Memorandum.

The success of the negotiations also contributed to high level organizing a meeting by the leadership of the Republic of Kazakhstan. At every stage of the negotiations, all delegations received support from our Kazakh colleagues.

In the near future, the main efforts will be concentrated on the formation of a Joint Working Group on de-escalation, preparation of maps with the coordinates of security zones and buffer strips, and their coordination with negotiating partners.

Reports on the activities of the Group will be heard during international meetings on the Syrian settlement within the framework of the Astana process.

In addition, together with partners, a mechanism for effective monitoring of the implementation of agreements, which Colonel General Sergei Rudskoy spoke about, will be formed. We have already started this work.

We intend to continue our work with partners to form additional confidence-building measures between the warring parties. First of all, this concerns the issues of the release of persons who are forcibly detained by the parties to the conflict, as well as humanitarian demining.

We look forward to further interaction with our partners in the Astana process, observer countries, as well as support for our efforts international organizations, primarily the UN.

Thank you for attention.

Questions from media representatives

Question from KBS TV channel correspondent (Republic of Korea) Ekaterina Babaeva to Colonel General S.F. Rudsky

- After the Memorandum on the creation of de-escalation zones in the Syrian Arab Republic comes into force, in which areas will the main efforts of the Russian Aerospace Forces be focused on destroying terrorist groups?

S.F. Rudskoy:

The establishment of de-escalation zones will allow government troops to release significant amount troops. The Russian Aerospace Forces will continue to support the Syrian armed forces in destroying gangs of the international terrorist organization ISIS.

The main efforts will be aimed at developing an offensive to the east from Palmyra and the subsequent release of the city of Deir ez-Zor, which has been under siege by militants for over three years, as well as the liberation of the northeastern territories in the province of Aleppo along the Euphrates River.

Question from NHK TV channel (Japan) correspondent Yaroslav Kurashov to Lieutenant General S.I. Gadzhimagomedov

- What measures are provided for violators of the Memorandum on the creation of de-escalation zones in the Syrian Arab Republic?

S.I. Gadzhimagomedov:

First of all, a thorough investigation will be carried out, based on the results of which a decision will be made on sanctions against violators, which does not exclude suppression by fire.

Question from TC Russia-24 correspondent Alexey Konopko to Colonel General S.F. Rudsky

- Does Russia plan to renew the Memorandum between Russia and the United States on preventing incidents in the airspace over Syria?

S.F. Rudskoy:

- This agreement is an effective tool to eliminate dangerous incidents in the air. After the attack of American cruise missiles on the Shayrat air base, the Russian side suspended its participation in this agreement.

The issue of Russia’s return to full participation in the Memorandum on preventing incidents in Syrian airspace will be discussed during bilateral contacts with American colleagues in the very near future.

Question from the correspondent of the Prensa Latina news agency (Cuba) Antonio Rondon Garcia to Lieutenant General A.V. Fomin

- Is it expected to expand the number of participants in establishing de-escalation zones?

A.V. Fomin:

Yes, it is provided. We are currently working with Jordan and a number of other countries.

A.V. Fomin: In conclusion of our meeting today, I would like to thank you for promptly responding to our invitation.

The Russian Ministry of Defense traditionally pays increased attention to issues of publicizing its activities. We will definitely continue to inform you about the most important events, including on Syrian topics.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate everyone present on the upcoming holiday. Great Victory and wish you peaceful skies.

Thank you for attention.

ALL PHOTOS

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree according to which a number of Russian generals who participated in the Syrian operation were awarded new military ranks. The corresponding document was published on Wednesday, February 22, on the Kremlin website.

The chief of the main operational directorate of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Sergei Rudskoy, Lieutenant General Alexander Zhuravlev, who commanded the Russian group in Syria in July - December 2016, and the head of the National Defense Center, Lieutenant General Mikhail Mizintsev, became colonel generals, RIA Novosti reports.

As TASS notes, Rudskoy regularly conducts briefings for journalists on the situation in Syria, the actions of Russian aviation and sappers, and the delivery of humanitarian aid. Mizintsev established interdepartmental work to organize actions Russian troops in Syria.

In accordance with the decree, Stanislav Gadzhimagomedov, deputy chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, who was the main military negotiator for Russia in Astana, and the commander of long-range aviation, Major General Sergei Kobylash, received the rank of lieutenant general.

Bombers Tu-22M3, Tu-95MS and Tu-160 long-range aviation, commanded by Kobylash, repeatedly attacked militant positions in Syria. Kobylash was appointed to this position on October 17, 2016, and Lieutenant General Anatoly Zhikharev, who had commanded long-range aviation since 2009, was transferred to the reserve due to reaching the age limit (60 years).

Gadzhimagomedov twice headed the delegation of the Russian Ministry of Defense at negotiations with the Syrian opposition in Astana, where the cessation of hostilities, the development of measures to control and suppress ceasefire violations, and increasing mutual trust between the Syrian authorities and the opposition were discussed. Gadzhimagomedov, as Interfax noted, had extensive experience in participating in consultations and negotiations on Syria, in particular on developing a ceasefire. As follows from the presidential decree on the Kremlin website, Gadzhimagomedov received the rank of major general on February 22, 2014.

Decree "On assignment military ranks senior officers, special ranks of senior command personnel and the highest special rank" is dated February 22 and contains 63 names. New ranks were also awarded to several other military personnel of the Armed Forces, employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Investigative Committee, Russian Guard and customs authorities.

In Syria on February 16, four Russian military advisers were killed when a car was blown up by a landmine. With them, the number of deaths officially recognized by the Ministry of Defense increased to 29.

The real number of Russians killed in Syria since the start of hostilities on September 30, 2015 may be much higher. According to some sources, it ranges from several hundred to a thousand. The search for “unaccounted” dead by the Ministry of Defense is being carried out by a group of independent investigations of military conflicts, the Conflict Intelligence Team.

In Astana, where inter-Syrian negotiations took place a few days ago, a draft constitution of the Arab Republic prepared by the Russian Federation was presented. The opposition rejected it, considering it premature, but, as the Russian Ministry of Defense noted, this project is of a framework nature. “In Astana, we handed over the draft of a new constitution for Syria to both sides of the negotiation process. It is important to note that this project has a framework nature; it is intended to outline the basic principles of possible government system Syria like sovereign state"- Major General Stanislav Gadzhimagomedov, deputy chief of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, who led a group of Russian military experts at the negotiations in Astana, told reporters. Gadzhimagomedov said that representatives of the Syrian diaspora in Russia, which includes people of various types, took part in the work on the project political views, as well as authoritative orientalists, specialists in the field of constitutional law and legislation. “The draft constitution is neutral and balanced. It takes into account both modern democratic principles and norms of a secular state, as well as centuries-old internal Syrian traditions and customs,” said the head of the group of experts. According to Gadzhimagomedov, Russia expects that the document developed will become a certain guideline. “It is built on a compromise basis, therefore it guarantees rights, taking into account the interests of both the current government and those who consider themselves its opposition. Of course, the Syrian people must form their own constitution, and it must take into account the interests of both the authorities and the opposition,” he said. “We also expect that this will become a unifying factor for all participants in the negotiation process and will speed up the political settlement (of the conflict in Syria),” he concluded. Answering the question what basic principles were laid down in the text of the document, Gadzhimagomedov said: “The draft of the new constitution determines that Syria is a modern democratic state with a republican form of government. This state must be built on the principles of democracy, the supremacy of law and equality before it. At the same time, the only source of power should be the multinational and multi-religious Syrian people.” “It is proposed to build the political system of the state on the basis of diversity and the formation of government bodies through democratic procedures,” he concluded. Gadzhimagomedov especially noted the point reflected in the document, according to which the armed forces and other armed groups will be outside politics and under the control of society.

The draft constitution for Syria, developed by Russian specialists, provides for the establishment of a republican form of government in the country. This was announced by the Deputy Chief of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Major General Stanislav Gadzhimagomedov, who led the group of Russian military experts at the negotiations in Astana.

It is stipulated that the Syrian state should be built on the principles of democracy, the rule of law and equality before it, and the only source of power should be the “multinational and multi-confessional Syrian people.”

According to Gadzhimagomedov, the document takes into account “both modern democratic principles and norms of a secular state, and centuries-old internal Syrian traditions and customs.” It is noted that representatives of the Syrian diaspora in Russia took part in the development of the document, reports.

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