Moscow Yet Again Reminds on True Russia's Stance on Assad's Fate

Russia is not trying to keep Syrian President Bashar Assad in power at any cost, but opposes a forced regime change, Russia's upper house speaker Valentina Matvienko said Sunday, following meetings with Saudi officials.

RIYADH (Sputnik) — Russian officials have repeatedly said that only the Syrian people should decide the fate of Assad, as well as choose the leadership they want.

The US, the EU and their allies in the Middle Eastern region have been calling for Assad's resignation since the Syrian crisis had erupted years ago.

"We have presented our position, that we are not aiming at keeping Assad at any cost. We are against forced regime change from abroad. These are very dangerous precedents," Matvienko said, answering the question, concerning Moscow's position on Assad's fate.

Recently, Washington's and Brussels' stance on the Syrian government has become even more tough as they blame Damascus for for an alleged chemical weapon attack in Khan Shaykhun in the Idlib province in Syria. Damascus denied any involvement in the Idlib incident, saying that the Syrian government does not possess such weapons since 2014.