Foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Monday in meeting Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov that the EU was open to cooperating with his country in the fight against terrorism, as well as Syria and Libya, despite the differing points of view on the conflict in Ukraine and the Crimea. She was speaking at a meeting in the Russian capital, like reported by ansamed.info.
In a prior interview with the Interfax agency, Mogherini had noted that the EU fully supports the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) investigation into alleged use of chemical weapons in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun and that it is waiting for the results of it. The EU foreign policy chief called the attack a war crime for which it was necessary to identify the perpetrators. Western nations consider the Syrian regime air force, Russia’s ally, responsible for the attack. She said in the interview that the ”future of Syria must be in Syrian hands, and all Syrians must have a say. There cannot be a lasting peace in Syria until the legitimate grievances and aspirations of all components of the extremely diverse and complex Syrian society are addressed. Only an inclusive political transition agreed by the Syrian parties in the UN framework will allow a peaceful future in Syria, where all Syrians can feel at home and contribute to the rebirth of their country. The international community has the responsibility to contribute collectively to creating the space for dialog and reconciliation” in Syria.
She added that ”we do have a common interest, and a common responsibility, to put an end to this war and support a peaceful democratic future for Syria. This will be an essential part of our talks in Moscow.”
