Risks of operations in Syria carefully calculated, Putin says

MOSCOW– President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Russia carefully calculated the potential risks and consequences of military operations in Syria, at the request of the Syrian authorities.

‘The potential risks and all the resources needed for the operations were allocated in advance’, Putin said during an interview on the eve of his participation in the G20 Summit in Turkey, according to the Iranian Mehr News.

‘Our activities in Syria as well as potential risks and consequences have been carefully calculated many times’, said the Russian President.

Regarding the impact on the federal budget, the Russian President stressed that financial and technological spending for the operation that began on September 30 by air forces, were foreseen in advance.

Regarding the terms of Russia’s participation, Putin said that it depends on the development of the Syrian army offensive against terrorists.

The Russian President said that the Russian forces were given a clear task: to support the ground offensive of Syrian army against terrorists, and everything depends on this objective.

According to Putin, Moscow, on the other hand, has no right to discuss with President Bashar Al Assad about his resignation, because he was elected by the Syrian people.

Putin considered inadmissible from an ethical point of view, to invite to Moscow the leader of a friendly country and demand him to resign. ‘Syria is a sovereign nation and Bashar Al Assad is its President elected by the people’, Putin added.

The Russian leader said, that only those who believe in their exceptionality allow themselves to act in such a shameless manner and to impose their will on others.

He insisted that only the Syrians should develop and adopt a roadmap for the settlement of the crisis in their country and reiterated that the intention of the Russian forces in Syria is to fight against terrorism and not to support Bashar Al Assad.

Refuting allegations without evidence that the Russian aviation supposedly bombed the positions of the moderate opposition, Putin called for an international consensus on the classification of terrorist organizations, not by the name but by the methods they use.

M.Wassouf