By Victoria Ojeme

The Russian Ambassador to Nigeria, Alexander Polyakov, speaks on the crisis in Syria.According to him, the position of his home government is that solution to the crisis lies in political dialogue between the government and the opposition.

Excerpts:

What is the position of Russia on the crisis in Syria?

Russia is convinced that the Syrian crisis does not have a coercive solution since the conflict is rooted in confrontation between various ethno-social groups, not the government and the society.

For some of these groups, the support of the Assad’s regime is simply a matter of their own existence and survival. As for the opposition, it embraces not all the country’s Sunni majority, but various armed fractions which have no common goal except the overthrow of the regime. Among them, there are gangs whose ideology and behaviour are quite similar to those of Boko Haram.

Unfortunately, those influential external powers, without the active support of which the rivals of Assad’s regime would never be able to confront the government forces almost on equal terms, do not particularly seem to ponder over the consequences of a quite possible Islamist takeover in Syria.

What do you think is the solution to the crisis?

From the very beginning Russia has been coming forward for the political resolution of the Syrian crisis.

We believe it is possible only on the basis of a political dialogue between the government and the opposition, without laying down any preliminary conditions other than the end of the bloodshed by both sides.

Such a dialogue, however, is not likely to take place if one of the sides, supported and encouraged from abroad, inherently refuses to enter the negotiations.

Nevertheless, Moscow hopes that the common sense will eventually prevail and all the parties involved in the armed confrontation, as well as various social, ethnic and confessional groups, will be brought to the table of negotiations.

In this regard we support efforts made by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi aimed at finding the way out of the this complicated situation.

Do you see in the nearest future President Assad handing over power to the Free Syria Army?

President Assad’s opponents in Syria and abroad left him no other choice but to fight back right up to the bitter end.

We shouldn’t also forget that the Alawites, a religious minority which is considered to be the main political stronghold of the Assad’s regime, apprehends not without a reason that it will likely to face total extermination if the regime falls.

The current scenario brings grim prospects for Syria’s other religious communities like Christians and the Druze. Sadly enough, the continuation of this brutal carnage with tens, or even hundreds thousands of casualties seems quite feasible. And the victory of the militarized opposition by no means will bring an end to violence. Quite on the contrary, I would say.

Why has Russia suddenly passed a bill on the ban of child adoption by American families?

Well, this issue didn’t come out of nowhere. The so-called Dima Yakovlev Act was passed not only as a result of an accumulating dissatisfaction over the existing practice of adoption of Russian orphans by Americans, which is far from being flawless, but rather as a response to numerous outrageous accounts of violent and reckless treatment of already adopted children by their new parents.

One of the most disgraceful parts of this story was a weird policy of the US federal government that practically deprived adoptees – still citizens of Russia – of a right for diplomatic assistance despite the bilateral adoption agreement between Russia and the United States.

Apparently it is beyond normal when the US mother avoids any prosecution after getting bored with her Russian kid she’d adopted and simply sending him back to Moscow with a one-way ticket.

Or when the American adoptive dad escapes a jail term after leaving his toddler in the locked vehicle exposed to a torrid sun for nine hours, causing a cruel death.

Not everyone in Russia supports this initiative, but as you can see, there were some reasonable grounds to approve the bill banning US citizens from adopting Russian children.

What is the reason or do you foresee threat to national security for the country?

It wasn’t national security, but rather national self-respect and prestige behind this legislative move. Russian lawmakers had to respond to the cynical so-called Magnitsky Act, which had been adopted by the US Congress shortly before.

To get a better understanding of the situation, let’s just imagine that the United States impose sanctions against the Nigerian officials who investigated the sensational Halliburton case a few years ago.

I mean, sanctions without judicial or any other evidence of the guilt. How would you like it?

How many visas and scholarships were issued to Nigerians in the year 2012?

Traditionally, Russia is not considered to be a top destination among Nigerians traveling abroad.

The number of Russian visas issued last year in Abuja and Lagos surpassed 1500, thus showing slow but steady growth.

At the same time young Nigerians remain really interested in higher education opportunities offered by Russian universities.

By now we provide 70 state-sponsored scholarships for Nigerian applicants per year and the annual quota has been growing gradually.

Another option eagerly used by Nigerians is to study in Russia on a commercial basis.