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Retired German General Praises Russia's Peacekeeping Role in Syria

© Sputnik / Michael Alaeddin / Go to the mediabankChildren in Nubel, north of Aleppo province in Syria, after the town was released from a long-term siege
Children in Nubel, north of Aleppo province in Syria, after the town was released from a long-term siege - Sputnik International
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By launching an anti-terrorist air campaign in Syria, Moscow added greatly to the beginning of the peace process in the country, according to former chairman of the NATO Military Committee Harald Kujat.

UN Syria envoy Staffan De Mistura's hands holds documents at the United Nations Offices on January 25, 2016 in Geneva during a press conference on efforts to restart peace talks. - Sputnik International
Kremlin Strikes Back at Accusations of Syria Peace Talks Failure
In an interview with the German newspaper Passauer Neue Presse, Harald Kujat, a retired German general and former chairman of the NATO Military Committee, heaped praise on Russia's role in the peace talks to resolve the Syrian crisis.

"Only Russia's military interference made it possible to start the peace process [on Syria]," Kujat said.

According to him, the Syrian crisis was in a state of stagnation because no one had any "strategy for peaceful settlement", and neither the US nor the EU was prepared to conduct large-scale activity.

© AP Photo / Dmitry Steshin, Komsomolskaya PravdaIn this photo taken on Monday, Oct. 5, 2015, a Russian pilot fixes an air-to-air missile at his Su-30 jet fighter before a take off at Hmeimim airbase in Syria.
In this photo taken on Monday, Oct. 5, 2015, a Russian pilot fixes an air-to-air missile at his Su-30 jet fighter before a take off at Hmeimim airbase in Syria.  - Sputnik International
In this photo taken on Monday, Oct. 5, 2015, a Russian pilot fixes an air-to-air missile at his Su-30 jet fighter before a take off at Hmeimim airbase in Syria.

"It was done by Russia, which threw up a window for a political solution," he pointed out.

Kujat noted the Syrian Army was on the verge of defeat in the run-up to the Russian air campaign, and that the army stood to collapse within "only a few weeks" at the time.

He also said that but for Russia, Syria would have collapsed and Daesh terrorists would have seized power in this Arab country.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev - Sputnik International
Airstrikes Alone Are Not Enough to Defeat Terrorists in Syria - Medvedev
The Geneva peace talks between the Syrian government and representatives of the Syrian opposition began on January 29. On February 9, UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said that the negotiations had been suspended until February 25.

Syria has been mired in a civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting opposition factions and extremist groups, such as Daesh and the Al-Nusra Front, which are banned in Russia. As for the Russian air campaign, it was launched on September 30, 2015, following a request from Syrian President Bashar Assad.

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