MOSCOW. March 17 (Interfax) - The European Union and other states have nothing to do with steps to determine the legitimacy of Syria's presidential election scheduled for April-May of this year, Syrian Ambassador to Russia Riad Haddad said in an interview published in the Izvestia newspaper on Wednesday.
"Presidential elections in Syria are a matter exclusively for the Syrian people, and neither the European Union nor anyone else has anything to do with determining the legitimacy of elections in the Syrian Arab Republic. It is one of the constitutional rights of citizens of Syria. Therefore, it does not matter to us whether the EU will recognize the results of this election or not," Haddad said when asked by Izvestia whether the skeptical attitude displayed by the EU, the United Kingdom, and the United States toward the Syrian election may undermine its legitimacy.
"Our only concern is the Syrian people's participation in it [the election] and to ensure that each citizen can vote and exercise the right to determine the country's future," the ambassador said.
"Maintaining the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Syria also remains a priority and requires that the Turkish and American occupying forces be banished from all territories that they have seized in violation of all principles of international law," he said.
"Simultaneously, Syria is making every effort to ensure proper living standards for its people who have suffered at the hands of international economic terrorism pursued by the countries that keep proclaiming their compassion for the Syrians. At the same time, they are imposing all forms of sanctions designed to undermine the basics of life of our country's ordinary citizens, especially in light of the coronavirus pandemic that has affected the entire world," Haddad said.
"Also, Syria attaches great importance to refugees' return and to creating appropriate economic and social conditions in order to enable returning Syrians to again become part of the workforce and to help rebuild infrastructure and the economy," the ambassador said.
"Acting in coordination with its Russian ally, the Syrian government is making major efforts to achieve success at all levels," he said.
Interfax reported earlier that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, and UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab issued a joint statement opposing the idea of holding a presidential election in Syria in 2021.