BREAKING NEWS

Russia says expelling Syrian envoys counterproductive

MOSCOW - Russia said on Wednesday that the expulsion of Syrian envoys from Western nations is "counterproductive" because it eliminates a channel that could be used to influence President Bashar Assad's government.
"The expulsion of Syrian ambassadors from the capitals of several leading Western states seems like a counterproductive step to us," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that Western nations "do not want to listen to Damascus and that ... does not improve matters in the current situation."