Greece described the US request not to allow Russian planes to Syria – RBC

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece confirmed the information about the request, which the country has received from the United States, with a request to close the Greek skies for Russian aircraft with humanitarian aid to Syria. On this, as reported by Reuters, said the press secretary of the department.

On the eve of RIA Novosti reported quoting diplomatic sources reported that Athens Washington denied the request. But on Monday, the representative of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed only the information that the request is received. He said that the Greek authorities still considering it.

In just a few days before US Secretary of State John Kerry in a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed concern about reports of interference of Moscow in the Syrian conflict. According to Kerry if the messages on the strengthening of the Russian military presence in Syria untrue, it can lead to a further escalation of the conflict and large losses, including among the civilian population.

The fact that in a conversation mentioned problem of the Russian military presence in Syria, said the State Department, the website the Russian Foreign Ministry in a statement about the event, this issue is not mentioned. However, the day after this conversation, September 7, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said that Lavrov during a conversation “drew the attention of US Secretary of State to the comment of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok that talk about Russia’s participation in the military operations in Syria yet premature ».

Zakharov also said that during the conversation with Kerry Lavrov touched upon the issue of supply of Russian arms to Syria. The Foreign Minister said that Russia has never made a secret of the supply of military equipment to Damascus “to combat terrorism».

Earlier, The Times published an article that reported that during a TV report about the fighting in Syria, allegedly voice was heard giving orders in Russian. The topic was the resonance, it picked up many of the world’s media.

State Duma deputy Dmitry Gudkov, sent a request to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to confirm or deny reports about the participation of Russian troops in the fighting in Syria.