The West's statements about the illegitimacy of the elections in Syria were a manifestation of brutal political pressure on Damascus, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued on Friday.
"We consider the statements voiced from some Western capitals about the illegitimacy of the held elections even before they were held as an element of crude political pressure on Damascus and another attempt to interfere in Syria's internal affairs with the aim of destabilizing it. "No one has the right to dictate to Syrians when and under what conditions they should elect their head of state," reads the statement.
Moscow sees the presidential election in Syria as an important step towards strengthening domestic stability. The Russian Foreign Ministry pointed to the confident nature of Bashar al-Assad's victory. "We consider the elections held as a sovereign affair in the Syrian Arab Republic and an important step on the way to strengthening its internal stability. It is in the interest of all Syrians that state institutions function normally on the basis of the Syrian legislation, especially taking into account the current armed struggle against terrorists," said the Russian diplomatic mission.
Russia intends to continue its policy of supporting the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria, and assist the country to eliminate the consequences of the conflict on its territory. "We will continue our efforts aimed at promoting a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process, as stipulated by UN Security Council Resolution 2254," the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed.
On Thursday, President of the People's Council (Parliament) of Syria Hammoud Sabag announced that the President of the Arab Republic, Bashar al-Assad won the elections on May 26 with the support of 95.1% of the voters. According to him, the turnout was 78.6%. More than 14 million citizens out of 18 million eligible voters took part in the elections. Sabag drew attention to the citizens' "high consciousness, which exceeded all expectations".
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: YOUSSEF BADAWI / EPA / TASS
Based on materials from TASS