Putin: Russia, US Could Be Close to Reaching Agreement on Syria
MOSCOW-Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia and the United States could be close to reaching an agreement on Syria.
“I don’t rule out that we’ll be able to agree on something in the near future and present our agreements to the international community,” Putin said during an interview with Bloomberg news agency published on Friday, describing the talks as “very difficult”, SANA reported.
The Russian President said that “the talks are very difficult,” adding “One of the key problems is that we insist, and our American partners do not object to this, that the so-called healthy part of the opposition should be separated from the radical groups and terrorist organizations such as Jabhat Al-Nusra.”
“We’re gradually, gradually heading in the right direction,” Putin said.
Putin said that the latest developments in Syria leave Russia with the impression that “Jabhat al-Nusra and other similar organizations are changing their colors like a chameleon and begin to swallow the so-called “moderate part” of the Syrian opposition,” warning of this “serious situation” and pointing out that these organizations include foreign militants who are receiving arms and equipment from abroad.
Answering a question about Turkey’s aggression on Syria, Putin said Ankara and Moscow “have a mutual desire to come to an agreement about the region’s problems, including the Syrian one.”
The Russian President said he believes that anything related to political regimes and change of power can’t be resolved from outside.
He cited the examples of Libya and Iraq, where the attempts to impose democracy led to the “collapse of the state” and the spread of terrorism. “Where do you see elements of democracy in Libya? Of course it won’t happen today or tomorrow. Maybe that’s what political wisdom is.”
Lavrov: Any US-Russian anti-terrorism coordination on Syria cannot be implemented without separating opposition from terrorists
Meanwhile in Vladivostok, Russian Foreign Ministry affirmed on Friday that any agreements with the United States on coordinating counter-terrorism efforts in Syria will not be implemented till the so-called “opposition” is separated from terrorists, according to SANA.
During a press conference following talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Vladivostok city, Lavrov said that Russia is holding talks with US on a mechanism to coordinate efforts on Syria and it counts on it.
“Near-daily and weekly contacts are held between the Russian and US military and intelligence services in order to develop this mechanism. We expect that this work will be completed in the very near future,” Lavrov added.
He pointed out that the situation in which Jabhat al-Nusra uses Syrian opposition to avoid strikes cannot continue forever.
“Many groups, the Americans consider as acceptable for negotiations, have in fact allied with Jabhat al-Nusra. Al-Nusra, meanwhile, uses them to escape attacks. This is a situation that cannot continue indefinitely,” Lavrov told reports, adding that this important issue relies on the possibility of the implementation of coordinating efforts to fight terrorism.