Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that calls by some US Department of State officials to target positions of the Syrian army are surprising and shocking since they are issued by figures who are supposed to work for a political solution.

In an interview with SANA reporter in Moscow, Zakharova added: “We can only be surprised about some US State Department officials sending messages on the need for a military scenario against Syria in order to solve the crisis in it, and what strikes us most is that the ones who are demanding war are diplomats who must work for a political settlement”.

“When diplomats call for war to resolve the crisis by violence, they directly confirm their lack of professional competence,” Zakharova said, adding:”We know that in Washington there is a camp that represents those who see a solution by military force and those who want to solve all the issues by war, whereas there is another camp of wise figures who realize that crises can be resolved through talks, and we hope that the second camp will prevail in the United States”.

Zakharova pointed out that Russia dealt with many crises in the Middle East and North Africa and saw how the military solutions led to worsening the crises as in Iraq, Libya, Yemen and others, noting that countries all over the world including the United States are now admitting that the approach that they had before was mistaken.

Zakharova explained that “the statement of the Chief of Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov confirms that the US threats to launch strikes against our allies are not new, and we knew things more serious than that. We have experts who can deal with complex global crises and with the most complicated partners, and that is why we continue work in this direction.”

51 US diplomats at the US Department of State urged the US President Barack Obama to target positions of the Syrian army, sparking criticism by Russia since Russia and the United States are co-chairs of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) which laid the foundations for a political process to resolve the crisis in Syria.

Zakharova: Russia will spare no effort to end the crisis in Syria

In a relevant context, Zakharova said she is confident Syria would overcome the crisis, dilemma and difficult conditions it is passing through, affirming that Russia will do its best to work for this goal, adding “Russia has never abandoned support to the Syrian people since the start of the crisis in the country.”

“Russia has witnessed a lot of criticism by the international community for its support to Syria, and pressures have never stopped upon it regarding the crisis in Syria over the last 5 years,” Zakharova, meeting Syrian students who won the Olympiad in the Russian language, history and culture that was run at the end of the semester in the Syrian schools, said.

She added that Russia, as leadership and people, spares no effort to enable Syria and the Syrian people overcome these difficult years to reach the land of peace and security.

Representative of the host side, Head of the Social relations Department at Sinergia University Michael Bodenov said the university will continue its work with the Syrian children and intends to run wide Olympic competitions in all Syrian cities through the Syrian ministries of Education and Higher education.