Syria denounced as ‘misinformation’ a recent statement by the US, Britain and France on the alleged use of chemical weapons. The Damascus government said the trio is leading a campaign of misinformation against the Arab country in line with their support for terrorists.
An official source at the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates told SANA news agency on Wednesday that the fresh Western threats against Damascus came amid the Syrian army’s territorial gains against foreign-backed terrorists.
Washington, London and Paris, in a statement on Monday, claimed that they ‘shared resolve to preventing the use of chemical weapons’ by the government of Syrian President Basher al-Assad. They also noted that their position on the Damascus’ ‘use of chemical weapons is unchanged. As we have demonstrated, we will respond appropriately to any further use of chemical weapons’ by the Syrian government. The statement was published on the fifth anniversary of the deadly chemical attack in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta in August 2013.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defence Ministry says its air force has killed more than 86,000 militants in Syria since Moscow began its operations in the war-torn country in September 2015. In a video about the Russian campaign, the ministry said the Russian air force has conducted more than 39,000 strikes that have left ‘over 86,000 militants’ killed and 121,466 ‘terrorist targets’ destroyed.
Russian jets have been carrying out air raids against targets belonging to the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group and those of other terror outfits inside Syria at the Damascus government’s formal request since September 2015. The airstrikes have helped Syrian forces advance against anti-Damascus militants, who have been wreaking havoc in the Arab country since 2011.
According to the video, Russia has dispatched 63,012 troops to the Arab country over the course of its involvement in the conflict. The ministry said that 25,738 ranking officers and 434 generals as well as 4,349 artillery and rocket specialists were among the troops sent to Syria. It added that the Russian personnel have ‘received combat experience’ in the war-torn country.
The ministry further said its forces had tested 231 types of modern weaponry, including aircraft, surface-to-air systems and cruise missiles, in Syria. Earlier on Wednesday, Russia blasted claims by US National Security Adviser John Bolton that it was ‘stuck’ in Syria, warning American officials against making such remarks while their own troops were also on the ground in the county.
Elsewhere, Ankara has censured Bolton’s latest comments about the Turkish financial crisis, saying the remarks prove that Washington is waging an economic war against its NATO ally. Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin complained in a statement that recent policies adopted by the administration of President Donald Trump ‘are at odds with the fundamental principles and values of the NATO alliance.’
The two sides are entangled in a dispute over an American preacher standing trial in Turkey over terror charges. Pastor Andrew Brunson has been accused of having links with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Gulen movement, which Turkey blames for the 2016 failed military coup.
The US then took the dispute to the economic front, with a series of punitive measures against Turkey, including imposing sanctions on Turkish ministers and the doubling of steel and aluminum tariffs, which have led to a sharp decline in Turkey’s currency, the lira. Ankara has vowed not to back down in the face of US attempts to achieve its political goals through economic pressure.
Commenting on the row, Bolton said on Tuesday that Turkey could end its lira crisis ‘instantly’, by freeing the pastor, and that a Qatari cash infusion would not help Ankara’s economy. The Turkish official described Bolton’s statement as ‘proof that the Trump administration is targeting a NATO ally as part of an economic war.’
‘The Trump administration has … established that it intends to use trade, tariffs and sanctions to start a global trade war,’ Kalin said. However, he added, Turkey ‘has no intention of starting an economic war with any party. It cannot, however, be expected to keep silent in the face of attacks against its economy and judiciary.’
• Russia will commence delivering its advanced S-400 anti-aircraft missile defence system to Turkey next year, a recent report said, much to the ire of Ankara’s NATO allies, particularly the United States. Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport announced the news, adding that the state intermediary agency would also switch to using local currencies instead of the US dollar in deals with foreign trade partners.
Back on April 3, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin said in Ankara that they had agreed to expedite the delivery of S-400 missile systems, for late 2019 and early 2020.
The S-400 system – full name is the Triumph Mobile Multiple Anti-Aircraft Missile System (AAMS) – is an advanced Russian missile system designed to detect, track, and destroy planes, drones, or missiles as far as 402 kilometres away. It has previously been sold only to China and India.
The White House has repeatedly warned Turkey about its decision to buy the S-400 missile batteries from Russia, threatening to slap Ankara with sanctions over such a purchase. Turkey is striving to strengthen its air defence capabilities, particularly after the US decided in 2015 to withdraw its Patriot surface-to-air missile system from the Anatolian country’s border with Syria, a move that notably weakened Turkey’s air defence.
Before gravitating towards Russia, the Turkish military reportedly withdrew from a $3.4 billion contract for a similar Chinese system after purported pressure from Washington. Turkey’s relations with its Western allies in NATO have been strained over a range of issues. Erdogan has been critical of the US for supporting Kurdish groups in Syria that he says are responsible for terror attacks inside Turkey.
Washington has refused to hand over Fethullah Gulen, a powerful US-based Turkish opposition figure, whom Ankara says masterminded the July 2016 coup attempt against the Turkish government.
But the detention of an American pastor Andrew Brunson in Turkey on terror-related charges has caused the biggest rift between the two countries. The Turkish lira has already lost about 30% of its value against the US dollar since the beginning of August. Earlier in the month, US President Donald Trump doubled US tariffs on Turkish aluminum and steel imports to 20% and 50%, respectively. The US is the world’s biggest steel importer, and Turkey is the sixth-largest steel exporter to the US.
Ankara increased duties on imports of some key US products such as rice, hard alcohol, leaf tobacco, cosmetics and cars in a tit-for-tat move.
Back on August 21, Russia’s oil industry Rosoboronexport said that it would no longer conduct its sales to foreign customers in US dollars, allowing purchases in local currencies, including Turkish lira.
