Moscow and Damascus are in contact about ‘safe zones’ in Syria

Russia’s deputy foreign minister said on Monday that his country is in regular contact with the regime in Damascus on several issues, including the establishment of safe zones in Syria.

“We are in contact with Damascus on a daily basis,” explained Mikhail Bogdanov. “The consultations are confidential in nature, but all of these issues are, of course, being discussed.”

This is the first time that Moscow has shown its willingness to discuss the establishment of safe zones. Several countries, including Turkey, support their establishment to protect Syrian civilians, and US President Donald Trump has expressed his support repeatedly for such areas within and beyond Syria. However, the Syrian regime and its main ally, Iran, reject the concept outright.

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Commenting on the fourth round of the Geneva negotiations which kicked-off last Thursday, Bogdanov told reporters that Russia hopes that the Syrian opposition group will form a single delegation to the peace talks.

“We hope [for the formation of a unified opposition delegation] because ultimately they all travelled there to fulfil UN Security Council Resolution 2254,” he pointed out, “so the overall goal is clear.”