Reopening crossings is Russian attempt to rescue regime: Syrian opposition
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The agreement to reopen the crossings in northwest Syria is another Russian attempt to rescue the Syrian regime, Haytham al-Jundi, a Syrian political opponent, said on Thursday.
“The Russian intervention in Syria has reached its limit and it is unable to provide economic assistance,” al-Jundi said.
“The agreement to reopen the crossings came after the failure of the tour conducted by the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, to some countries in the area and the Gulf states,” he added.
Lavrov was unable to persuade Qatar and the UAE to provide assistance to the Syrian regime, due to a veto by the US, according to al-Jundi.
“Russia claims that reopening the three crossings in Idlib and Aleppo governorates is to alleviate the difficulty of the humanitarian situation in the Turkish-held territories, as if those living in the regime-held areas are in better situation,” the political opponent noted.
In the past, Russia used its veto in the UN Security Council against opening crossings for the entry of international aid to Syria through Turkish borders, “so how does it cry today for the Syrian people?” al-Jundi stated.
He pointed out, sources revealed that the Russians are currently striving to beautify the image of the Syrian president and improve the conditions before the upcoming elections.
“The opening of the crossings is a step to contribute to stop the collapse of the exchange rate of the Syrian pound.”
Al-Jundi believes that there is a “Turkish-Russian agreement that will become clearer in the coming few days.”
On March 24, Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it had reached an agreement with Turkey to reopen three crossings between the Turkish-held areas inside Syria in Saraqib and Miznaz in Idlib, and Abu al-Zendin crossing in Aleppo countryside.