MOSCOW. April 20 (Interfax-AVN) - The missile strikes by the United States and its allies on Syria were launched at the least suitable moment, when the normalization of the situation in the country was becoming irreversible, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.
"I would like to say that the strikes that were launched on Syria [happened] at the least suitable moment, when the normalization of the situation in Syria was already becoming irreversible, when [the country] was two days away from completing the operation in Eastern Ghouta. Essentially, it was completed two days after the strikes were delivered," Shoigu said on Friday during a meeting with UN special envoy on Syria Staffan de Mistura.
The defense minister said the missile strikes had not brought stability and had hindered the settlement process in Syria.
"Nevertheless, all those things did not bring stability; all those things did not bring what could now become a guarantee, what could be a serious incentive in promoting the Syrian settlement," Shoigu said.
Fruitful actions have recently been taken to bring peace to Syria, he said.
"A lot was done over that period of time," he said.
He was referring to the joint work in Sochi on the creation and formation of a constitutional commission, and also the meeting in Astana, where "substantive political dialogue between everyone who now opposes each other in Syria" was being established." "Naturally, with the exception of ISIL and Jabhat al-Nusra (banned in Russia) terrorists," Shoigu said.
He said he is certain that today's meeting will address the main areas of joint further steps to return to the Sochi and Astana format.
"No doubt, with the plan that this whole work will be focused in Geneva, as we agreed, as we planned, as it was decided at the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi," he said.