Russia's Lavrov says advance by Syrian rebel 'terrorists' is inadmissible

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday it was inadmissible to allow what he called a "terrorist group" to take control of Syrian lands.

He was speaking in the Qatari capital Doha after meeting the Turkish and Iranian foreign ministers following a rapid advance by Syrian rebels led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militant group that threatens President Bashar al-Assad's rule.

"It's inadmissible to allow the terrorist group to take control of the lands in violation of agreements," said Lavrov during a political forum in Doha.

Russia, a long-term ally of Assad, intervened in 2015 to prop him up during Syria's long-running conflict, which began in 2011 with the brutal suppression of pro-democracy protests by regime forces.

Russia maintains a military presence in Syria, including a naval base and airbases in the cities of Tartus and Latakia, in the Alawi-majority coastal region which is a regime stronghold

"...we help the Syrian army to counter the attacks of terrorists," Lavrov said.

Lavrov, whose country is waging war in Ukraine, was asked whether he believed Assad could hold on, and about the future of the Russian bases in Syria. He said he was "not in the business of guessing".

Lavrov said that at the meeting in Qatar with Turkey and Iran, the three countries agreed the fighting in Syria must end, reiterating support for Damascus' "territorial integrity, sovereignty and unity".

He said that talks with Turkey, which backs some anti-Assad rebel groups, had included discussion of methods of keeping Syria united while ensuring the security of the Turkish border.

"We called for an immediate end to hostile activities ... and for this purpose called for the dialogue between the government and legitimate opposition," he said.

Lavrov did not specify which opposition forces Russia regarded as legitimate but made clear it considered HTS a terrorist group.

Russian news agency RIA quoted Lavrov as telling reporters that Moscow would oppose "in every possible way" what he said were efforts by HTS to change the dynamics on the ground in Syria.

(Reuters and The New Arab Staff)