Russia talks about more gains on ground in Syria

Russian Ambassador here Serge V. Kirpichenko said the Russian military campaign against terrorists in Syria has already achieved tangible results as it managed to push away militants from large swaths of Syrian territories they have been holding.

But still, the ambassador told MENA, Moscow believes that military triumph is not the solution to the five-year-old crisis in Syria.

Moscow believes that military solution is just the start for a political solution that wound end the conflict that left thousands dead and more than 11 million Syrians displaced, he added.

He made it clear that the Russian military base in Syria is set up for a certain purpose, stressing that Russia has not yet made up its mind whether or not to keep this base after the end of operations.

Russia has established a base of operations at an air base at Khmeimim airfield in Latakia province. Russian warplanes have flown nearly 6,000 combat missions since Moscow launched its air campaign in Syria on September 30.

About accusations that Russian fighter jets have violated Turkish airspace, he said there is an agreement with the US, a main partner in the international coalition against Syria, on the way to act in air and on the ground and this agreement is binding to all partners, including Turkey.

So any claimed violation should be viewed as part of a Russian-US understanding and there is no need to file any complaint with the NATO because it is not a partner in the coalition against Daesh, he said.

As for the Saudi-Iranian dispute, he urged both Iran and Saudi Arabia to exercise self-restraint and view matters in a balanced way, saying both are two important states in the region and Russia hopes tensions between them would be soothed.

About the failure of Syrian negotiations in Geneva, the diplomat expressed disappointment over the opposition stance, saying Russia hopes that they would be unified and show more flexibility to find a political solution to the crisis.

Concerning Libya, he said Russia supports the UN envoy's efforts, expressing concern over news that more terrorists are fleeing Syria and other parts in the region into Libya.

Source: MENA