Ammar Al-Mousawi Head of Hizbullah Intl. Relations: We Are in Touch with All European Countries But Two; We Get Many American Requests to Meet with Us, Including by Former Officials

Ammar Al-Mousawi, head of international relations at Hizbullah said that Hizbullah cooperated closely with Russia in Syria, fighting terrorism and preventing the fall of the Al-Assad regime. He made these remarks in an interview with Al-Manar TV (Hizbulah-Lebanon) that aired on March 25, 2021. Al-Mousawi said that when the Russians decided to intervene in Syria, it was a watershed moment. He added that Russia and Hizbullah together defeated the "enterprise" led by the U.S., and the "Friends of Syria Group," which had used terrorism as a tool. Al-Mousawi said: "We had a 90% agreement [with the Russians] when the Syrian issue was discussed." He stated that Russia and Hizbullah cooperate as partners, and "everybody knows" that Hizbullah is present at Hmeimim Air Base, the main Russian base in Syria. Al-Mousawi continued to say that Hizbullah is in touch with all the countries in Europe besides Britain and the Netherlands, and even the Americans have unofficial contacts with them.

Ammar Al-Mousawi: "We all remember that Mr. Mikhail Bogdanov visited Beirut twice, and both times he met Hizbullah's Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, and discussed with him issues of shared interest, or issues that were on the agenda back then. The relations have continued. Everybody knows that in Syria we have had great cooperation in fighting terrorism, and in preventing the fall of the Syrian state.

"We have always – even before Russia entered Syria – encouraged the Russian side to act in a more serious manner to prevent the fall of the Syrian state. I believe that it was a watershed moment when the Russians decided to intervene. We had cooperation in the fighting on the ground. We have fought terrorism side by side. There was coordination and joint forces...

"I believe that we and the Russians have had joint results – very important results that will go down in history.  I'm not just talking about defeating terrorism, but also about defeating the enterprise that had used terrorism as a tool. This enterprise was led by the U.S. by means of what was named the 'Friends of Syria Group.' 

[...]

"We have discussed the issue of Syria as part of a group of issues that were debated. I believe that even if we don't have 100% agreement [with the Russians], we had a 90% agreement when the Syrian issue was discussed. We cooperate as partners and everybody knows that we are even present in the Hmeimim Air Base, which is the main base of the Russian military in Syria. This is no secret. Our guiding principle is that what happened in Syria was a victory, and we should work to complete and boost this victory, so that it culminates in political gains. 

[...]

"Today, there are two or three countries in Europe with which we have no contact. They designate us as terrorists..."

Interviewer: "Including Britain..."

Al-Mousawi: "We are talking about Britain and the Netherlands. All the rest are in touch and meet with us. They ask to visit us. Some of them even say: 'Brother, please forgive us. We are subjected to pressure and we are trying to circumvent that pressure.' Get it? Even the Americans...

"Ultimately, I am not the only person to be contacted. I am the official contact party, but some people prefer to go elsewhere to be in contact. Perhaps I am privy to this and perhaps not. Generally speaking, I am privy to many American requests to be in contact with us. They do not present themselves as officials, but we know that even if someone is a 'former official,' he is still serving his country and his government, and when he is in contact with us, he reports to his government."