A leading Syrian opposition figure has accused the West of “double standards” in dealing with the crises in Syria and Ukraine. 

Anas al-Abdah, who heads the Syrian Negotiation Commission, made the remarks during an interview with Anadolu Agency as Russia’s war on Ukraine enters its second week.

"In Syria, there is a massacre of an entire people in front of the eyes of the world and with international complicity, while in Ukraine, the whole Western world is trying to protect it and its people," al-Abdah said.

Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has been met with international outrage, with the EU, US, and UK, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

Over 2,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the war, according to Ukrainian authorities.  

Western double standards

Explaining the Western double standards, al-Abdah said he supports the safety of Ukrainians against Russian aggression but accused the West of favoring some countries over others.

"We support the protection of Ukrainians from the weapons of Russian President Vladimir Putin, but we are against this crude and public duplicity of Western countries," he said, adding that “the killing of a person should not be tolerated, regardless of the victim's nationality or belief."

The politician noted the strong support extended by the US and its European allies to the Ukrainians but said their strategy towards the Syrian crisis has “slackened” and has “flaws.”

The West "gave Russia direct and indirect support to carry out new adventures that may not stop at the borders of Ukraine," al-Abdah said.

He added: "Failure to anticipate the danger before it becomes a reality on the ground, is the biggest failure that any country's leadership can fall into."

Al-Abdah said he believes that "the acceleration of Western countries to take strong positions against Russia in its invasion of Ukraine is because they felt this invasion poses a direct threat to their interests and national security."

However, he said, “in Syria, their positions were weaker against President Bashar al-Assad (of Syria) and Russia, not because they do not threaten their national security, but because Western countries did not sense the reality of that threat.”

Al-Abdah warned the West that “they are losing the Middle East to Russia and Iran" that together “have made the region a hotbed of cross-border terrorism, and turned Syria into a drug lab that kills all peoples."   

Ukraine and Syria crises

Al-Abdah noted that similarities exist between what happened and is happening in Syria and what is happening in Ukraine.

"Russia's invasion of Ukraine aims to weaken the West and its political and economic control in a region with an important geopolitical and geostrategic dimension," he said.

But he pointed out that while the leadership of Ukraine “supported the struggle of its people against the ambitions of Russia,” in Syria, the regime has been “serving the interests of Russia and Iran” by inviting them to intervene in the Arab country and has used “all possible weapons to kill the Syrian people who only demanded their freedom and dignity."

Al-Abdah accused Russia of killing Syrians for years and supporting the Assad regime with weapons to kill Syrians while the world remained “deaf to the cries of the Syrians and their distress."  

Western media

Al-Abdah also accused the Western media of “double standards” in the way they covered refugees.

He said some Western media worked on “demonizing the Syrian opposition as promoting terrorist organizations” which also contributed to the mistreatment of Syrian refugees.

"Western countries are fully aware of the misinformation and attempt to stigmatize the Syrian opposition and the Syrian people with terrorism and they remain silent about it," he said.

He added: "This situation harmed us and our struggle against the fascist regime in Damascus and its supporters, our struggle for our freedom and the future of our country."

While praising “the position of Western countries” on supporting the right of the Ukrainian people to confront an occupying force like Russia,” al-Abdah warned the West that “losing Syria to Russia and Iran will not be less dangerous for them than leaving Ukraine to Russia.”

Al-Abdah called for the rallying of Western support against Russia’s intervention in Syria.

“This is an international opportunity to weaken the Russian and Iranian arrogance once and for all. If they miss that opportunity, it may not return in the short and medium-term."

Syria has been mired in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity. /aa