MOSCOW, November 30 (Sputnik) — Syrian Deputy Foreign and Expatriates Minister Fayssal Mikdad told Lebanese newspaper al-Binna on Saturday that the developments in the strengthening of relations between Syria and Russia over the last months have impacted not only Syria but the Middle East as a whole, Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.
“Russia stands by the Syrian people and [the country’s] leadership based on the credibility of its principles in supporting whoever fights terrorism and prevents it from spreading outside the Middle East,” SANA quoted Mikdad as saying.
The minister also noted that the role played by Russia on the international level in the Syrian conflict has gained it the respect of the entire world, adding that the two countries share in their positions on how to end the Syrian civil conflict. The struggle for peace must combine a continued struggle against international terrorism, and efforts toward national reconciliation, with inter-Syrian dialogue being conducted without any foreign interference in Syria’s internal affairs, Mikdad noted.
The Syrian minister’s statements follow commentary by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday that “the fight against terrorists and extremists in the Middle East and North Africa, including naturally Syria…is a priority task for the international community.” Putin stated that “efforts to deter this threat should be based on UN Security Council resolutions, strict compliance with international law, the principles of state sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs of states in the first place.”
Answering questions for a written interview for Turkey’s Anadolu news agency, Putin also noted that “the main risk of further aggravation of the situation both in [Syria] and in neighboring states stems from the activities of the so-called Islamic State and other radical groups.” The president pointed out that these groups “were once actively employed by some Western countries, which flirted with them and encouraged them.”
The Russian president’s comments are in line with what the Syrian government has been saying for years – namely that some Western countries and their allies have been exacerbating civil strife in the country by supporting Syrian-based jihadi groups, which have since morphed into the Islamic State militant group and terror state.
Last week, the Russian Foreign Minister assured his Syrian counterpart that “Russia will continue helping Syria to maintain its combat capability to fight against terrorism.”
Syria has been engulfed in a civil war since 2011, the civil conflict quickly becoming a magnet for jihadi fighters from around the world seeking to topple Syria’s secular government and establish a caliphate. The war has claimed the lives of nearly 200,000 people since its inception. A US-led airstrike campaign against IS began in September, which Syrian officials said has thus far failed to weaken the terror state.
