Medvedev: West's intervention in Syria's affairs increases problems in it

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev warned that the West's active intervention in Syria's internal affairs aggravates problems in that country and causes instability there. "Russia's Western partners are acting as an elephant would do in an earthenware store; they come in and destroy everything inside without realizing what they are doing," Medvedev said in an interview with Russia Today TV channel aired Sunday. He expressed deep sadness and regret over how things have unfolded in Syria, condemning the West's attempts to force a regime change in a country and appoint rulers loyal to it as a wrong thing that violates the UN Charter. The Russian Premier stressed that the so-called "Arab Spring" has been, as far many Arab countries are concerned, mere endless bloody confrontations, regime change and continuous unrest. He criticized how the pretexts of protecting national interest and human rights have been used for toppling countries' political systems, interfering in their internal affairs and leading pro-West regimes to come into power, citing Iraq and Libya as examples for that. Medvedev's interview came on the eve of the 5th anniversary of the events in South Ossetia in 2008 when the Georgian authorities attacked the Russian peacekeeping forces in South Ossetia, promoting Russia to respond by carrying out a military operation.