Lavrov says war in Syria has ‘really come to an end’

MOSCOW – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the war in Syria was over and stressed the need to promote a lasting solution to the crisis in the Arab country.

“The war in Syria has really come to an end. The country is gradually returning to a normal and peaceful life. Some points of tension remain in territories that are not controlled by the Syrian government, such as Idlib and the eastern bank of the Euphrates,” Lavrov said on Thursday.

The minister believes that Syria’s most important goals now are to provide humanitarian aid to civilians and “promote the political process of crisis resolution to achieve lasting stabilization of the situation in the country and throughout the Middle East region.”

Earlier in the day, Russia’s Foreign Minister said the Syrian opposition was playing an important role in the Syrian agreement.

Meanwhile, the US Department of Defense announced that it will illegally send about 150 soldiers to northeastern Syria to conduct joint patrols with Turkey.

The decision is part of a series of military and diplomatic measures taken by the United States in recent weeks to ease tensions in relations with Turkey over Washington’s continued support for Kurdish militias operating in northern Syria. The information was released by The New York Times on Thursday.

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According to the publication, US military and diplomatic officials declined to comment.

Currently, the United States has less than 1,000 troops in Syria involved in combating the remains of the Daesh terrorist group.

In August, the United States and Turkey reached an agreement to create a security zone in northern Syria. The Syrian government opposed the US-Turkey agreement, labeling it as a violation of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as a violation of international law.

On Tuesday, Turkish presidency spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Ankara would act unilaterally in northern Syria if the

US failed to implement the agreement reached.

Syria has been experiencing a war since March 2011. Government forces are confronted by armed opposition factions and terrorist groups. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives during the conflict in the Arab country.