Russian ambassador upbeat over Lebanon and Syria, warns West over Ukraine

The street where the Russian embassy is located in Corniche al-Mazraa is now sealed off with white concrete blocks. Visitors notice that there is something unusual here as security measures are at their highest.

The Russian ambassador in Beirut, Alexander Zaspikin, says with the utmost reassurance: “There are no special threats against the embassy. The security precautions are part of the general atmosphere after the increase in terrorist threats.”

Zaspikin explains his country’s position regarding the events in Ukraine arguing that “the West instigated the forces affiliated with it inside Ukraine and pushed them to take power. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych agreed to his part of the agreement on February 21. He started to withdraw the internal security forces from the streets, but extremists quickly attacked the legitimate government.”

Will Russia accept the division of Ukraine? “What is happening in Ukraine is fateful for us,” says Zaspikin. He stresses that “Russia is keen on the unity of Ukrainian territories and institutions. Russia intervened quickly to prevent a civil war that would’ve divided Ukraine in the future because bloodshed erodes national unity.” He continues: “We do not want to divide the country and we are working hard to prevent its division. We will not allow the killing of Ukrainians that are ethnic Russians and other minorities in light of the current chaos and the terrorism perpetrated by gangs. They are the ones who targeted the police force from the beginning and many heroic policemen died.”

The Russian ambassador insists that “the gangs used arms and if the conflict continues they might resort to a large scale use of weapons which would threaten the country’s unity and the presence of minorities.”

For Russia, defining the opposition as perpetrators of a coup against the legitimate authority in Ukraine is a simple feat. Zaspikin says there are “extreme right-wing, nationalist, and ethnic movements and they are the basis of the protest movement against the state. These movements relied on the support of Nazi Germany since the 1930s to destabilize the country and they used to call for a ‘pure Ukraine,’ empty of all the other social groups. Today these groups rely on western support.”

The diplomat addresses “Russia’s Western partners,” saying: “If our partners are objective, they should put pressure on those they are supporting to go back to the February 21 agreement.” He continued: “Europe will regret this in the future. There are dormant extremist movements inside Europe like the ones present in Ukraine. The Ukrainian crisis is going to wake them up and then it will be too late for regrets.”

Will this new cold war lead to confrontations in new flashpoint areas around the world after Ukraine? The ambassador can’t predict but “Who knows?”

How will the events in Ukraine affect Russia’s position regarding Syria? Zaspikin answers confidently:

“We are convinced that this is linked to a larger conspiracy. It started in Yugoslavia, then Iraq, Libya, Syria and now Ukraine. All of these conspiracies need to be confronted. What have the Yugoslavians gained? They had a strong state and now they live in weak and small states.”

For Russia, the Geneva III Conference should bring something new, most importantly, “expand the participation of the internal opposition now that the Syrian National Coalition has proved to hold no sway over the militants and doesn’t represent Syrian public opinion. The conference should be logistically prepared to invite the opposition inside Syria, which is now part of the government. If countries want to truly stop the war, they should stop supporting the armed groups and put pressure on them to stop the violence and not just talk about it.”

What about the Saudi role and the recent Saudi decision to classify some armed groups as terrorist organizations? Zaspikin says: “It has been proven that the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and al-Nusra Front are terrorist groups but there are other organizations that were not included in the Saudi decree and they are terrorists too, such as the Islamic Front and others. In any case, the Saudi decision is a good one and we hope to build on it in the future to end support for terrorist organizations.”

The Russian diplomat seems optimistic about the situation in Lebanon in the upcoming period. He says “there are good opportunities to implement constitutional deadlines and the Lebanese should not waste these opportunities.” He stresses that “Russia was able to work with its international partners to safeguard security in Lebanon and will continue its support for the country.” He also argued that “it is in no one’s interest to destabilize the Lebanese internal situation and any disturbances in Lebanon won’t benefit anyone and won’t affect the situation on the ground in Syria.” Zaspikin says that “the question of the cabinet statement is not a complicated one. A formula must be reached that pleases everyone so the government can carry out its mission and the country can move forward with its constitutional requirements.”