MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Syria stands at the epicenter of the battle against the outlawed Daesh jihadist group while a resolution to the Arab republic’s civil conflict is still far off, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with Russian ambassadors and permanent representatives Thursday.
"Syria found itself at the epicenter of the fight against terrorism. It is no exaggeration to say that the fate of this country does not only influence the future of the Middle East. The outcome of the fight against Daesh is being decided on Syrian soil," Putin said.
"It is clear that a final settlement is still very, very far off, but the experience gained over the last few months in Syria demonstrated that only by joining efforts toward the creation of a broad anti-terrorist front urged by Russia can we successfully confront today’s threats," he reassured.
Since the beginning of the Syria civil war, the United States and some of its allies have supported the moderate Syrian opposition, calling for President Bashar Assad's resignation, while Russia and Iran recognized Assad as the only legitimate Syrian authority.
