Russia warns of negative effects from supporting Syrian opposition

Efforts to support the Syrian opposition simply fuel the flames of the ongoing conflict in the country, a senior Russian diplomat said Tuesday. To end the prolonged crisis in Syria, it is necessary to refrain from giving weapons or other supports to the opposition, because such moves heighten the tensions, Alexander Grushko, the Russian envoy to NATO, told reporters. Grushko spoke a day after the announcement of a decision by the European Union to lift an arms embargo on Syria so as to support the opposition forces in the country. Meanwhile, he added that Russia would continue to honor its contracts with Damascus on military-technical cooperation. "We will implement the contracts we have signed. Russia acts completely within the international rules," Grushko said, adding that nothing Moscow has done would change the power balance in Syria. Earlier Tuesday, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov called Russian arms supplies to the Syrian government "a stabilizing factor."