Russia has evidence showing that the Syrian opposition used chemical weapons and will present it to the UN Security Council, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.

, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (Photo: Reuters)

The materials were handed to Russia by the Syrian government of Bashar Al-Assad. Lavrov added that there is plenty of evidence, which is widely available on the Internet and is also cited in a report their experts have prepared on the suspected use of chemical in Aleppo in March. There’s also plenty of data on the incidents that occurred in August in Ghouta, near Damascus, Larov said. The Russian FM added that the Syrian authorities had handed the data to Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergey Ryabkov, who is currently on a visit to Damascus.

In another development, Syria’s President Bashar Assad thanked Moscow on Wednesday for supporting Damascus as it confronted with the threat of foreign intervention and terrorism, the Syrian state-run news agency SANA reported. At a meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, Assad said Russia’s stance could lead to the establishment of a new balance of power in the world.