Paris (AFP) --- France and Britain
expressed their concern Thursday about the Russian military buildup in Syria after Moscow
said it would conduct naval drills in the eastern Mediterranean .
French Defence
Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, speaking on a day of intense European diplomacy on
the conflict, called on Moscow
to justify the "very significant" Russian buildup.
Le Drian said:
"We know what everyone can see, the very significant buildup of Russian
forces both in the port
of Tartus and above all,
with the setting-up of a military airport to the south of Latakia and the
presence of several fighter jets, combat helicopters and drone capacity
there."
He said if Russia 's main
intention was "to protect President Bashar al-Assad", it should say
so.
British Defence
Secretary Michael Fallon, speaking alongside Le Drian after they held talks,
said he was "equally concerned" by the Russian buildup in Syria
"which will only complicate what's already a very complicated and
difficult situation".
Fallon warned that
the focus on Russia should
not divert attention from the need to deal with Islamic State jihadists
operating in Syria .
"We should not
divert our focus from the need to deal with the threat of Daesh, the very
direct threat to Britain and
France , and the instability
that Daesh is posing in both Syria
and Iraq ,"
he said, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State (IS).
The foreign
ministers of France , Germany and Britain
are meeting with EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini on Syria in Paris
on Thursday.
It said the exercises
had been planned since the end of last year and it did not link them to the Syria conflict.
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