Aleppo operation purely humanitarian - Russian deputy defense minister Antonov
MOSCOW. July 29 (Interfax-AVN) - The operation in the Syrian city of Aleppo is purely humanitarian, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov told journalists on Friday.
"I would like to stress that the operation in Aleppo is purely humanitarian, and we are ready to do whatever is possible to help the civilians still held hostage by terrorists, and even [help] the militants who wish to surrender weapons," Antonov said.
"Humanitarian corridors for civilian convoys will be opened not only from but also to Aleppo, if need be," he said.
"However, under no circumstances shall we allow the areas controlled by militants to receive additional arms supplies from outside," Antonov said.
"The Russian Defense Ministry is doing all it can to improve the humanitarian situation in Aleppo," Antonov said.
It is this aspect that is the focus of the humanitarian operation launched on July 28 by the Russian armed forces jointly with the Syrian government, at the behest of Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said.
"The Defense Ministry, together with the Russian Foreign Ministry, have appealed to international humanitarian organizations to help the civilian population of the Syrian Arab Republic. Already the military and diplomats have sent appeals to their foreign counterparts, leading foreign countries, asking [them] to support the Russian efforts to provide humanitarian aid to the population of Aleppo," Antonov said.
"The first responses that were received instill some optimism," he said.
"There has been a keen response from the well-known organization Doctors Without Borders, the ICRC [International Committee of the Red Cross] and from the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Syria, [Staffan] De Mistura. Our colleagues note that any initiative that would allow ordinary Syrians to leave for safer places could prove positive. Certainly, concrete implementation of aid provision requires thorough planning and preparation," Antonov said.
At the same time, he expressed "surprise at the reaction from some media outlets and politicians who saw a hidden agenda behind Russian actions."