UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) – It is vital not only to take advantage of the cessation of hostilities in Syria, but to reach stabilization in the region, President of Portugal Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa told Sputnik on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
"We are following very carefully what’s been going on, and in my speech at the General Assembly I told it was important for the world not just for the region to find a way," De Sousa said when asked to comment on the situation in Syria. "Not only taking advantage of the ceasefire but creating a stabilization in the area."
Syria has been mired in civil war since March 2011, with government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups operating in the country, including the Islamic States, which is outlawed in many countries around the world, Russia among them.