Russia will not allow Syria’s partition into zones, expert says

KAZAN, April 16. /TASS/. Syria’s division into an Alawite-Christian and Sunni zones will lead to a domino effect in the Middle East. Russia will not allow this scenario, a partial stabilization has been achieved in Syria, Vitaly Naumkin, Academic Director at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oriental Studies and expert of the Valdai International Discussion Club, told reporters on Monday. "On the one hand, the stabilization is temporary, there must be some vision. Our vision is related to the fact that, firstly, it is a peace process, all UN Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 2254, [need to be implemented - TASS], the national reconciliation, a new Constitution, the elections, the government’s adaptation to some new realities. On the other hand, the issue at hand is preserving Syria’s unity, that’s something we really want. We will not allow to divide it and are doing our utmost to make sure this does not happen, because that will be the domino effect, the entire Middle East will come apart, and that is going to affect us," the expert said. Naumkin noted that the Arab world had always been based on three pillars, that is, Iraq, Syria and Egypt. The situation in the region depends on the situation in those countries. Today all these countries are experiencing various problems. According to the expert, despite the long civil war, Lebanon was able to avoid partition. The Druze and Sunnis continue to live in a single country. This principle must be complied with in relation to Syria’s population. "How can it [Syria] be divided? It has a mixed population," he stressed. "The civil war in Lebanon lasted for fifteen years. Thank God, it was not divided. People continue to live together, although there has been some population migration." Read more