Putin Sees Positive Changes in Cooperation between Russia and the United States on Syria

ARKHANGELSK- Russian President Vladimir Putin has stressed that he sees positive changes in cooperation between Russia and the United States on Syria.

 “Still in some sensitive areas, such as cooperation on Syria, despite all statements, the real cooperation is stepping up, deepening and broadening,” Putin said at the Arctic forum plenary meeting on Thursday.

“We feel interest of our US partners in developing this cooperation, and this is a very good signal,” Putin told the forum.

The Russian President pointed out that Russia intends to build partner relations with the United States while information on the contrary is lie, fabrications and provocations, according to Itar Tass.

 “Public opinion polls in the United States show that there are many friends of Russia in the USA. First of all, I want to say the following: we perceive and treat the United States as a great power, with which we want to develop very kind and partner relations,” the Russian leader said in response to a question at the international Arctic forum in Arkhangelsk about Russian-US relations.

“All the rest is lie and fabrications towards Russia, and provocations,” the Russian president said.

‘US domestic political battle’

Some forces in the US are playing the Russian card in order to strengthen their political position, Putin said.

Lies, fake news and provocations concerning Russia are being used “in the US domestic political battle,” Putin said commenting on the Russian-US relations. “Some political groups in the US are playing the Russian card in order to achieve their political goals and strengthen their position within the country,” the Russian president stressed.

Putin expressed confidence that “it is not in the interests of the majority of Americans to reduce to an absurdity Russian-American relations in favor of a domestic political calendar”.

“What do we want – to curtail our relations altogether?” he asked. “They are already almost at a zero point. The turnover is a meager $20 billion, it used to be $27 billion – an insignificant figure in fact for such countries as Russia and the US, while now it has slumped to $20 billion,” Putin noted.

“What do we want – to fully sever diplomatic relations? Bring the situation to that of the 1960s, to the Caribbean Crisis, and then what?” the president said.

“In general, these people who behave so irresponsibly, what are they driving us to, including the US people? It seems to me this is a big mistake, and I very much hope that someday, the sooner the better, the situation will normalize,” Putin summed up.

Putin expects US to help conflict resolution

The new US administration should take steps to help resolve regional crises, including the Ukrainian conflict, Putin said.

“If we try to use dangerous tools and stir up regional crises in order to restrain someone, it may lead to a global conflict,” Putin stressed. He added that “on the contrary, we need to take steps in order to resolve any kind of conflicts.” “I expect our US counterparts will take the path of cooperation,” the Russian president said.

“As for Ukraine, we know that the US and some other countries think that the worse relations are between Russia and Ukraine, the better it is for them, because it weakens Russia and prevents integration processes that could strengthen Russia, particularly in the economic sphere,” Putin added.

Russia proposes cooperation on cybersecurity

Russia has repeatedly proposed cooperation on cybersecurity to the US, but has not received a positive response, according to Putin.

“We hear these endless and groundless accusations of some kind of interference, talking about cybersecurity. Do you know that long ago we suggested to the US party that we develop and sign an agreement, a joint document, an intergovernmental agreement on securing cybersecurity? We suggested it but the US party refused,” he said.

Putin assumed that it was done to make it easier to accuse Russia “proceeding from, the political calendar.”

Zakharova Slams Efforts to Justify Terrorists Incursions in Syria as ‘Propaganda Game’

Meantime, Russia’s Foreign Ministry Official Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters that Moscow is disappointed by attempts to justify terrorists’ offensive near Damascus and Hama in Syria, stressing that this “propaganda game” is inadmissible.

The Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group (outlawed in Russia) and their cohorts earlier carried out a raid in the north of the Hama province, posing a direct threat to the province’s administrative center and also the town of Muhada where Christians live, and this attack was thwarted, the diplomat said, according to Itar Tass.

“The consequences of the large-scale bloody provocation are being cleared out now, and Syrian forces are returning to their positions,” Zakharova noted.

 “We detected that the terrorists’ activities near Damascus and Hama had been well synchronized and very thoroughly worked out,” she added. “The al-Nusra radicals managed to attract militants from groups that had joined the ceasefire in their offensives.”

Moscow “is disappointed by the assessments of these events by some opposition politicians and certainly Western and regional mass media outlets that try to justify the terrorists,” Zakharova emphasized. They depicted this as a success for the so-called “Free Army” in the fight against the Syrian government, she said.

“This propaganda game is inadmissible,” she stressed. “Everyone should understand that any activities involving al-Nusra, the Islamic State (terror groups, outlawed in Russia) and other branches of Al-Qaeda should be condemned decisively and in absolute terms.”

Readiness for compromise

The parties at talks on Syria in Geneva should show their readiness for compromise solutions, she went on.

“Moscow hopes that the Syrian sides will show readiness to look for compromise solutions as regards to all four ‘baskets’ (core issues of debate) with the goal of achieving peace on the Syrian soil,” Zakharova said.

The diplomat noted that the current military and political situation in Syria remains tense. “The Syrian army continues anti-terrorist operation in eastern Damascus launched in response to the militants’ attempt to carry out an offensive on the city’s center on March 19-22,” she said.

Earlier this month, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura unveiled a plan to the Syrian sides, which includes “four baskets”: constitution, governance, elections and war on terror.

H.M