"Russia has proved to be a friend of the Syrian people, and its positions have been repeatedly reaffirmed at the highest level. It is worth emphasizing that in the UN Security Council Russia used its veto power against the calls of the side supporting terrorism four times," Halqi said.
According to Halqi, a direct confirmation of friendly Russian policy towards Syria includes hosting two rounds of intra-Syrian consultations in Moscow this year. Halqi mentioned that a third round of Moscow-based intra-Syrian negotiations between representatives of Russia, the Syrian leadership and members of the opposition was currently in the planning stage.
"We do not diminish the importance of the humanitarian assistance provided by some states and non-governmental organizations, including the European and Japanese ones. But I stress it is safe to say that Russia's assistance is a paramount provision of assistance [to Syria] taken as a whole," Halqi said.
A number of Western countries have long been vocally supportive of what they call Syria's "moderate" rebel fighters, while Russia has repeatedly stated that Assad remains the current legitimate president of the country.
Two rounds of negotiations between the Syrian government and the country's moderate opposition were held earlier this year in the Russian capital. In early July, Moscow expressed its readiness to host a third round of intra-Syrian talks. The date of the new round of consultations has not been determined yet.
