Damascus Counts on Allies, Not Enemies - Syrian Army on US President-Elect Trump

Leadership changes in the West, including in the United States, should not affect the Syrian government's policy, which relies on allies and not enemies, a senior Syrian Army official told Sputnik on the subject of Donald Trump's election as the next US president.

DAMASCUS (Sputnik) — According to The Washington Post newspaper, Kerry is trying to persuade the Syrian and Russian governments to halt violence in Aleppo before Trump's administration takes office. He reportedly holds phone conversations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov twice a week and met with him to discuss the issue earlier this month in the framework of the APEC summit in Peru.

"It is wrong to rely on any changes in Western policy or changes in Western governments. We must always bet on our own forces and our allies, not on the enemy. The enemy should be regarded as an enemy he will trick and deceive you by all means necessary," Brig. Gen. Samir Suleiman, Head of the Media Affairs of the Syrian Army's Political Office, said.

The situation in Aleppo has been seriously deteriorating over the recent months. Thousands of citizens are believed to be trapped in the terrorist-besieged eastern parts of Aleppo with no access to food or water. There have been several attempts to establish a ceasefire, however the bids have failed.

The Syrian civil war is ongoing since March 2011, with different countries, regional powers and terrorist organizations such as the Daesh and Jabhat Fatah al Sham (both outlawed in Russia) involved in the conflict.