Russia to go ahead with supporting Syria and Iraq in counterterrorism, says Putin

MOSCOW,(ST)_The Russian President has underscored that his country will go ahead with supporting Syria, Iraq and other states in the region in counterterrorism in accordance with principles of the states’ sovereignty and non-intervention in their internal affairs.

Vladimir Putin’s remarks came during an interview with the Turkish Anadolu Agency ahead of his state visit to Turkey scheduled on December 1st to attend the 5th session of the High-Level Russian-Turkish Cooperation Council.

Responding to a question about the current situation in Syria and Russia’s suggestions to speed up the settlement process in it, Putin said: “The situation in Syria remains source of serious concern. The main risk of further aggravation of the situation in this state and in neighboring states stems from the activities of the so-called Islamic State and other radical groups that were once actively employed by some Western countries, which flirted with them and encouraged them.”

Priority task

“We consider the fight against terrorists and extremists in the Middle East and North Africa, including naturally Syria, a region struck by upheavals, a priority task for the international community. We are convinced that the efforts to deter this threat should be based on the UN Security Council resolutions, strict compliance with international law, the principles of state sovereignty and non-interevention in internal affairs of states in the first place. And what is important – this should be done transparently and without any hidden agenda,” the Russian President stated.

In‑depth analysis of threats

He added: “We, for our part, will further support governments of Syria, Iraq and other regional states in countering extremists. On the whole, we believe it is important to address numerous regional problems comprehensively, based on an in‑depth analysis of threats existing in the Middle East and North African region in all their complexity. It is evident, for example, that the protracted Arab-Israeli conflict and the failure to settle the Palestinian problem are being employed by extremists in order to recruit new supporters, especially among young people.”

Peaceful political settlement by the Syrians

“From the very onset of the Syrian crisis Russian has consistently exerted efforts towards its peaceful political settlement by the Syrians themselves based on the Geneva Communiqué of June 30, 2012, meaning through internal dialogue without any preconditions or dictates from the outside.”

The Russian President sees that the rise of terrorist groups in Syria and in the Middle East in general require consolidation of all robust forces of Syrian society – consolidation for the future of Syria as a sovereign, united, secular and democratic state where equal rights for all ethnic and confessional groups are guaranteed and everyone can enjoy peace and security.

“We will continue to do everything necessary to help the Syrian people to overcome the tragic events and find peace and harmony as soon as practicably possible. This is the purpose of our contacts with the Syrian government, various opposition groups, our international and regional partners, including, of course, our Turkish colleagues,” he concluded.

Two days ago, the Russian president met the Syrian Foreign and Expatriates Minister Walid al-Moallem in the Russian city of Sochi.

“The talks dealt with Russian-Syrian ties,” according to the Kremlin statement.

Following the meeting, al-Moallem declared that President Putin stressed Russia’s determination to cooperate with Syria and with President Bashar al-Assad in order to defeat terrorism and deepen the strategic partnership between the two states.

Compiled by: B. Qaddour