MOSCOW: A Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman said on Tuesday that
Moscow does not consider it a matter of principle that Syrian President
Bashar Assad should stay in power, stepping back from its previous
position of strong support for him.
Asked whether it was crucial for Moscow that Assad stays, Maria Zakharov said on the Ekho Moskvy radio station: "Absolutely not, we've never said that."
"What we did say is a regime change in Syria could become a local or even regional catastrophe," she said, adding that "only the Syrian people can decide the president's fate."
Russia is believed to be Assad's strongest backer and has previously balked at the West's suggestions that the Syrian president should be ousted.
Asked whether it was crucial for Moscow that Assad stays, Maria Zakharov said on the Ekho Moskvy radio station: "Absolutely not, we've never said that."
"What we did say is a regime change in Syria could become a local or even regional catastrophe," she said, adding that "only the Syrian people can decide the president's fate."
Russia is believed to be Assad's strongest backer and has previously balked at the West's suggestions that the Syrian president should be ousted.
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