MOSCOW, December 3. /TASS/. Russia is fighting against terrorism for the sake of the future of civilization. This is the gist of the message to the international community contained in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state-of-the-nation address to the Federal Assembly, polled participants in Thursday's event in the Kremlin told TASS.
State Duma member Vyacheslav Nikonov, of the United Russia party, believes that the international community’s response to Putin’s call for presenting a strong common front against the terrorist organization calling itself the Islamic State was mixed. Putin proposed this initiative at the UN General Assembly session last September and has now explained it in greater detail in the message to the Federal Assembly.
"Russia’s call for a wide international coalition to fight against terrorism has drawn a greater response from Europe than from the United States. Washington has turned a blind eye on the hard fact the Islamic State militants are being financed from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. In contrast to the United States the Europeans, who have already fallen victim to terrorism and been able to feel the effects of an unprecedented influx of illegal migrants, do see certain chances of cooperation with Russia, of which the just-concluded agreements with France are evidence," Nikonov told TASS.
"France has stepped up the anti-terrorist operation in Syria after the terrorist attacks in Paris. British Air Force planes on Thursday dealt strikes against the militants’ oil facilities in eastern Syria. Germany is sending a contingent of 1,200 to fight against the Islamic State. Naturally, these countries will be acting in conformity with US policies. Nevertheless, it is quite obvious the West is aware the future of civilization is under threat. The Russian president stated that quite clearly in his message," Nikonov said.
Russia’s General Staff on Wednesday presented what he described as a "killer piece of evidence" showing caravans of oil tanker trucks delivering crude oil from militants-controlled Syrian territories. Now this will cause major influence on efforts to plug the loopholes the terrorists are financed through and to do away the Islamic State.
The head of the New York office of Russia’s Institute of Democracy and Cooperation, Andranik Migranian, believes that the United States in the first place is not interested in the emergence of a wide international coalition.
"Washington needs obedient junior allies. Russia is no good for this role, because it has been operating against the militants in Syria far more effectively than the US-led pseudo-coalition of 60 counties. In the wake of the successful operation by Russia’s air group in Syria Germany and Britain have decided to make their own contribution to the struggle against the Islamic State. They cannot afford to let Russia take all the credit as the main crusader against terrorism," Migranian told TASS.
He recalled that some members of the US-led coalition were also sponsors and accomplices of terrorists. "In his message the Russian president stated loudly and clearly we will not forget and never forgive those who catered to the militants’ interests and shot down Russia’s Sukhoi-24 bomber during its combat mission against terrorists in Syria. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan keeps arguing the attack was well-founded and that he will resign, if he sees convincing proof of Ankara’s involvement in oil trade with the Islamic State. Now that Russia’s General Staff has presented irrefutable evidence exposing Erdogan’s criminal business he is doomed to suffer a political defeat," Migranian believes.
"The Russian president’s message to the Federal Assembly reflected Russia’s strategic readiness to take joint action for the sake of eliminating the Islamic State. It is beyond doubt that Russia’s pro-active stance will meet with support from the world public, while the attitude of ordinary citizens, of the electorate, will force Western politicians to cooperate with Russia in the war against terrorism in reality, and not just verbally," Migranian said.
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