Supplies of S-300 to Syria to stabilize situation in the region

Russia dismisses accusations of the US that says Russia’s supplying Syria with S-300 air defense systems will have a destabilizing effect, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Thursday, adding that on the contrary - this will normalize the situation in the region.

"Just the contrary - it plays a very stabilizing, normalizing role. We see eye to eye with Damascus in this assessment, and that’s how we will be analyzing the approaches of those who think otherwise" Ryabkov said.

"It’s not for the first time that we hear these statements, sometimes it seems that for Americans any action of Russia no matter where it is taken and no matter what nature it has seems destabilizing," the senior diplomat said. "These are the consequences of paranoia that has gripped the Washington establishment. Unfortunately, high-ranking officials from the administration and many responsible politicians in the US fully forget the basics of inter-state communication, disregard norms that until recently seemed unshakeable," he added.

Every sovereign state has the right to take measures to ensure its own security, he said. "Syria has all rights in that sphere, like any other state, including the US," he summed up.