Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday, that Russia was “not even thinking about” providing asylum for Assad, in a sign that the country may be distancing itself from the besiged Syrian regime.
When asked about media reports that Russia was ready to offer Assad asylum, Lavrov replied,
Russia continued the rhetoric that it is not propping up Assad and would accept his exit from power in a political transition decided by the Syrian people, but remained adamant that he must not be pushed out by external forces.
When asked about media reports that Russia was ready to offer Assad asylum, Lavrov replied,
“We have said more than once publicly that we are not even thinking about this.”Lavrov echoed statements by Putin and other Russian officials that Moscow has no special relationship with the Syrian government, and even went on to suggest that it may make more sense for a Western nation to take him in.
Russia continued the rhetoric that it is not propping up Assad and would accept his exit from power in a political transition decided by the Syrian people, but remained adamant that he must not be pushed out by external forces.
