Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad says Russia’s involvement in his country’s war has led to significant changes, including the “shrinking” of the Islamic State (IS) group.
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“I think it (shooting down Russian jet) has shown the real intention of Erdogan who, let’s say, lost his nerve just because the Russian intervention has changed the balance on the ground”.
“Erdogan in Syria, the failure of his terrorist groups means his political demise, so he wanted to do anything in order to put obstacles in front of any success”, Assad said.
“I do not think that it will change the balance”.
In an interview to a news channel, Assad said that he is open to sign any future peace deal to end his country’s four-year civil war. The war against terrorism continues.
The next “day the situation will be better and in a few months we will have full peace in Syria, definitely”.
“If you really want to fight them [terrorists] and defeat them, you must prevent the supplies of arms, finances and recruits, which mainly goes through Turkey with support of Saudi Arabia and Qatar”, Assad told the Czech Television.
Assad hit back Tuesday, telling Czech public TV that the French only stepped up bombing of Islamic State targets after the Paris terror attacks “to dissipate the feeling of the French (people), nothing serious”.
In an interview on Czech television, Assad said that Europeans have legitimate cause to fear the wave of Syrian migration, since among the masses are agents of ISIS. The surviving Russian pilot, Konstantin Murakhtin, confirmed that neither he nor Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Peshkov, who was killed by Turkmen rebel machine gun fire after ejecting, had received any radio or visual warning from the Turkish F-16.
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Turkish support for anti-Assad rebels raises the “potential for conflict”, Smith noted, as Russian Federation has been providing military assistance to President Assad since September. More than 50 jets and helicopters take part in the operation, including Su-34 and Su-24M fighter jets, Su-25 aircraft, Su-30SM fighter aircraft, and Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters.
