‘Russia has no political agenda in Syria’

AMMAN. — Russian Federation Council Chairperson Valentina Matviyenko yesterday stressed that Russia had no political agenda in Syria, the state-run Petra news agency reported.

At a meeting with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, the Russian official said Russia strongly believes that there is no solution to the crisis in Syria except through a political one that preserves the unity and stability of Syria.

“Russia has no political agenda in Syria. It only seeks to fight terrorist organisations including the so-called Islamic State, which represent a threat to the region, the world and Russia as well,” Matviyenko.

Russia has recently started military operations against the Islamic State in Syria, which was criticised by some countries in the region as attempts to play more role in the region.

The two sides said majority of countries believe that the political solution is the key to end the cycle of violence in Syria and restore the country’s stability.

They also discussed the burden on Jordan after the influx of 1.5 million Syrian refugees, which is about 21 per cent of Jordan’s population.

Meanwhile, in a recent op-ed for Israeli daily newspaper Israel HaYom, columnist Boaz Bismuth suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been able to rack up a string of diplomatic successes on the world stage thanks largely to a concrete understanding of what it is he wants to achieve, while his counterpart, Barack Obama, does not. — Xinhua/Sputnik News.