Umakhanov: Syria Defends its Independence, Stands in the Front Line of War against Terrorism

BEIRUT, (ST)-Syria is defending its independence and standing in the frontline of the war against International Terrorism, Ilyas Umakhanov, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation has underscored, stressing that Syria needs support and Moscow will spare no effort to contribute to holding the inter-Syrian dialogue.

 Talking to Russian reporters in Beirut on Monday, Umakhanov said “it was important for us to meet with President Bashar Al-Assad to know to what extent the development of our relations today are coping with the new geopolitical events.”

He added “President Al-Assad believes that Russia has restored its position in the Arab world and become a key independent player in the Middle East.”

Umakhanov pointed out that President Al-Assad, during his meeting with the Russian parliamentary delegation, reiterated that combating terrorism will continue with strong determination and that the Syrian government is ready for dialogue to serve the interests of the Syrian people.

“We felt the confidence in President Al-Assad’s words and the strong desire to move to the process of reconstructing Syria in the post crisis era, he said.

The Russian official clarified that talks with President Al-Assad dealt with prospects of boosting cooperation in addition to terrorism fighting, dialogue of civilizations and the issue of confronting the radical and extremist thinking.

“We were pleased to get President Al-Assad’s support for joint initiatives aiming to enhance cooperation and to involve all Russian provinces in this cooperation, including northern Caucasus and Volga Basin republics” Umakhanov said, pointing out that the Syrian side is currently suggesting launching direct flights from Syria to these republics and this necessitates first of all the restoration of peace in Syria.

“Of course, military and technical cooperation in addition to humanitarian assistance is more important for Syria,” he stressed.

Hamda Mustafa