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Putin: Terror fight remains absolute priority in Syria, world

Thursday, 11 October 2018 4:05 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 11 October 2018 4:08 PM ]

Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo by AFP)

The Russian leader says fighting global terrorism, especially in Syria, remains an “absolute priority” for his country, emphasizing that any solution to over seven years of crisis in the Arab state should guarantee its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Syria’s official SANA news agency cited Vladimir Putin as saying on Thursday while receiving the credentials of 23 new envoys to the Russian capital, Moscow.

The president further said Moscow was seeking a solution to the Syria crisis, which would protect its “sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.”

Touching on Syria’s reconstruction process in the post-crisis era, Putin expressed hope that the world community would join forces to rebuild the country when the terrorists are uprooted.

Efforts are underway to facilitate the recovery of Syrian economy and infrastructure as well as the return of those displaced by violence to their homeland, added the Russian head of state.

Displaced Syrian children attend class at a makeshift school in the village of Muhandiseen, in the southwestern countryside of Aleppo, on September 24, 2018. (Photo by AFP)

Russia – along with Iran and Turkey – has been serving as a mediator of a fruitful peace process, which has brought the Syrian government and armed opposition groups to the negotiating table in Astana, Kazakhstan, since January last year.

The peace process has sharply reduced the violence in Syria, paving the way for Damascus government forces, backed by its Russian and Iranian allies, to liberate almost all areas from the grip of foreign-backed terrorists.

Counter-terrorism efforts in Syria are now focused on the northern province of Idlib, which serves as the last major terrorist stronghold in the country.

Besides Russia, Iran has also voiced readiness to help speed up Syria’s reconstruction process as the Middle Eastern state seems to be on the verge of full victory against terrorists.

In August, Tehran sent a delegation of experts from several ministries to Syria to lay the ground for a post-war “transformation” in their economic ties. Those talks focused on a series of agreements previously signed between the two sides, including during a May visit to Damascus by the Iranian minister of roads and urban development.

Turkey is also set to host a four-nation summit with French, Russian, and German leaders later this month, with Syria’s reconstruction a key item on the agenda.

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