Russia Says "Arab Spring" Will Precipitate Caliphate

Lavrov warns against threat of Islamic caliphate in Syria


Moscow, August 7, Interfax – Delays in the process of suppressing terrorists in Syria can result in setting up an Islamic caliphate in the country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov believes.

"Earlier, we saw how some members of the Security Council didn’t want to condemn terrorist acts in Syria, saying, that, no matter how cynical it may sound, those who carry out these acts struggle against the regimen, which exhausted itself. This position is absolutely unacceptable, terrorism should be treated without any double standards," he said at a press conference summing up his talks with Ghana Foreign Minister Hannah Tetteh.

Lavrov reminded that representatives of many terrorist organizations did not conceal their intentions to set up a caliphate or emirate in Syria.

"That is the result of delaying tough measures on suppressing military actions and focusing this entire military machine on the struggle against terrorism, both from the side of government and opposition," the minister said.

He reminded that the day before about 450 peaceful Kurds including more than hundred children were violently killed in the northern Syria by Jabhat al-Nusra militants, another terrorist act took place in Damascus.