Lavrov: The truth is that we have excellent political relations, and I have met with Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci last year in New York, on the sidelines of a United Nations General Assembly meeting. This was followed by a meeting with Deputy Minister for Maghreb and African Affairs Mr. Abdelkader Messahel, when he visited Moscow. I also visited Algeria last February as part of an official trip to Africa, where my meetings with President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Foreign Minister Medelci presented us with an opportunity to exchange views and discuss the most pressing current international and regional issues. We also touched on the possibility of enhancing economic cooperation in keeping with the strategic cooperation agreement that was signed in 2001 in Moscow, in addition to implementing the decisions reached during the Russian-Algerian summit meetings of 2006, 2008 and 2010.

El-Khabar: Despite the signing of a strategic agreement in 2001, and the many mutual official visits, relations between Algeria and Russia have remained far behind what they could be. In your opinion, why is that the case? Is it because you view Algeria as a competitor to Russia in the gas export market?

In an exclusive interview with El-Khabar, the head of Russian diplomacy indicated that both countries’ points of view were similar on many security and international issues. He also expressed his country’s support for Algeria’s proposal to criminalize the paying of ransoms, but asked that the initiative be backed by an arsenal of measures aimed at freeing hostages. He denied Russia having any strategic objectives in Syria and stressed the need to espouse solving the Syrian crisis through political means, saying that arming militant factions would not lead to peace in that country. He also talked about the dangers associated with Libyan weapons.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described his country’s relations with Algeria as “excellent” on the political level and called for added cooperation between [Russian] Gazprom and [Algerian] Sonatrach in the European market.

What can be said about trade relations between our two countries is that they are in a constant state of successful evolution. Algeria is among the three most important economic partners that Russia has on the African continent, and all we have to do is look at the size of trade exchanges between the two countries last year, which reached $2.7 billion, a 12% increase compared with 2011. Cooperation in energy related-matters holds a special place in the overall relationship between our countries; as evidenced by the optimism expressed about the current level of cooperation, by people and organizations involved in the sector, both in Algeria and Russia.

In the framework of cooperation with Algeria in the energy field, we are working on bridging views and finding a balance between gas producing and gas consuming countries, an issue that we concentrated on during the Gas Exporting Countries Forum held in Moscow at the beginning of July. We believe that it is necessary to value cooperation and bolster coordination between Gazprom and the Algerian oil and gas conglomerate Sonatrach in the European market. In fact, all of our bilateral meetings focused on the need to expand cooperation between the two countries, which is exactly the conclusion reached by the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade-Economic and Scientific-Technical Cooperation that is headed by Energy Minister Alexander Novak, during its meeting at the end of April in Algeria. During that meeting, emphasis was placed on expanding cooperation in the fuel sector.

El-Khabar: What is your assessment of Algerian-Russian cooperation in the field of counterterrorism? Are there consultations between security and intelligence agencies in this regard?

Lavrov: We are satisfied with the level of cooperation between Algeria and Russia in the field of counterterrorism. This cooperation is accompanied by an effective dynamism in all bilateral issues, and our viewpoints converge on many international security matters. We share with Algeria the conviction that these problems can only be solved through the respect of international laws with reverence being paid to the role played by the United Nations and its Security Council.

It must be pointed out that Russia is interested in strengthening this cooperation in the framework of bilateral actions to combat terrorism and organized crime, conducted by concerned ministers and agencies of both countries. This is what was focused on during the fifth meeting of the action group held on Feb. 18-19 in Algeria; for, in addition to discussing ways by which anti-terrorism cooperation can be expanded through the United Nations and other international bodies, discussions also focused on ways by which to combat extremism in societies, and the prevention of terrorism in a social, economic and ideological context. Meanwhile, the group also took into account the dangerous shift of the situation in the Sahel region.

On the other hand, Russia remains focused on offering technical counterterrorism support, as stipulated in UN special programs and via bilateral relations, particularly with regard to Russian Interior Ministry employee vocational training.

We are seeing how the situation in Libya now poses an imminent terrorist threat to its neighbors, including Algeria and the region as a whole; the reason for that is the unfettered proliferation of weapons. Proof of that was clearly visible in the terrorist attack that occurred last January against the In Amenas gas facility. We are therefore committed to the strict and full implementation of UN Security Council resolution 2017, that Russia proposed with the aim of putting an end to the proliferation of Libyan arms, because they are now being used to threaten the security of Algeria, Mali and the Sahel region as a whole — all the way to Syria and other countries.

Deciding to supply opposition factions with weapons is a mistake, because such a move will not lead to peace in Syria; on the contrary, additional arms can only mean further blood being shed by the Syrian people and the serious deterioration of the situation in the region.

El-Khabar: Where does Russia stand on the issue of criminalizing the payment of ransoms?

Lavrov: On the subject of ransoms being paid for the release of hostages held by terrorist organization, and in light of the fact that this issue is a very pertinent one in many regions of the African continent, particularly the Sahel, we share and agree with the conclusion reached by the G-8 meeting in Ireland last June 18.

From our perspective, commitment to this position meant to combat such crimes must be backed by an arsenal of measures aimed at freeing hostages. We believe that the approach used to deal with this issue must be based on the inevitable need to save hostage lives; while keeping in mind that the matter of financing terrorism in not confined to ransom payments, but is extremely problematic in complexity.

El-Khabar: Russia is currently being accused of backing the Syrian regime. What is your position regarding this issue, especially considering that many believe that the matter at hand has gone beyond talk about the opposition wanting to overthrow the regime, now that the conflict has mutated into one between international and regional powers on Syrian soil?

Lavrov: I do not like to describe the conflict in Syria as being one between international powers. Russia’s stance is clear in this matter, and is predicated on the need to find a solution and a way out of the dangerous crisis that befell Syria through dialogue between the Syrians themselves, without any form of foreign military intervention or dictates. In other words, we are calling for a return to the modern system of international relations as provided for in the United Nations’ charters; in our estimation, this is the only solution to this crisis and the only way out that safeguards the interests of all factions and groups of Syrian society.

This proposal opened the door for the discussion of a Russian-US understanding during the meeting that took place last May. Accordingly, preparations got underway for an international conference aimed at bringing together representatives of the Syrian regime and opposition groups around the negotiating table to reach a political settlement, as stated in the Geneva I conference held on June 30 of last year. Therefore, all nations that participated in the conference and have a stake in the crisis, must endeavor to make Geneva II a reality.

El-Khabar: But some say that Russia has strategic interests in Syria.

Lavrov: Contrary to this belief, we do not have any strategic objectives in Syria; we also are not working behind the scenes to impose our will. Our only goal is to enable Syrians to decide their own fate in a democratic and sovereign manner. As such, we are neither interfering in the internal Syrian conflict nor do we look upon Syrians as being divided into those who follow us and those who do not. On the other hand, we unequivocally and unconditionally condemn all acts of terrorism, extremism and violence that target civilians; particularly crimes motivated by religious or sectarian hatred. We also do not agree with the actions of those who impose preconditions on their acceptance to sit at the negotiating table, and those who, for the sole goal of achieving their desire to forcefully overthrow the current regime, are pouring fuel on the crisis and encouraging further violence and blood being shed by the Syrian people.

El-Khabar: Do you think that jihadists constitute a real threat to the stability of the region?

Lavrov: We view with great concern the increased coordination between the various factions loyal to al-Qaeda, which is aimed at thwarting all efforts aimed at restoring peace to Syria, while inciting sectarian and religious tensions, especially between Sunnis and Shiites. We also cannot overlook the terrorist organizations’ targeting of civilians and them perpetrating heinous crimes against them in public places within Damascus, where a form of ethnic cleansing is underway, similar to the massacre that occurred in the town of Hatla in Deir al-Zour, where 60 civilians were killed, homes were destroyed and the town’s imam hanged.

Given these reasons, we believe that the decision to supply opposition factions with weapons is a mistake, because such a move will not lead to peace in Syria. On the contrary, additional arms can only mean further blood being shed by the Syrian people and the serious deterioration of the situation in the region.

On the other hand, I believe it is a grave mistake to think that there will be a loser and a winner in this conflict. Everyone will lose, and this is what distinguishes the globalized and connected world in which we live from the one that existed in the 19th and 20th centuries.

From this standpoint, we are firmly convinced that the Geneva II conference will represent a real opportunity for the return of peace and normalcy to Syria. As such, we believe that participating and concerned nations, among which we are happy to see Algeria, must intensify their efforts and work toward giving the Syrians a helping hand. This is a difficult but not impossible task. All we need to do is transition from mere talk to actual actions on the ground.