STRASBOURG (Sputnik) — Russia's decision to launch airstrikes against the Islamic State (IS) extremist group in Syria is a step toward normalizing its ties with western powers, a Conservative UK lawmaker told Sputnik on Wednesday.
"I think the move is going to improve their relations, because I have noticed here at the Council of Europe, where I have been for a week, people are talking less and less about Ukraine, they are talking more and more about the migrant issue. And they are more and more desperate to end the war in Syria," UK Tory lawmaker Edward Leigh said.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) met in Strasbourg this week to debate EU asylum rules in light of an enormous refugee movement, fleeing war and IS atrocities in Syria.
After receiving a call from the Syrian government for military assistance, Russia announced on Wednesday it was launching an air campaign against ISIL targets.
Leigh greeted Russia’s move to bomb IS extremists in Syria and urged global cooperation in the fight against violent religious fundamentalism.
Speaking at UN in New York on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin urged all nations in the region to join forces and enter in a broader UN-backed coalition with the Syrian government to eradicate the IS insurgency.
A US-led international air campaign has been attacking ISIL positions in the Middle East since August 2014.
