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Putin: Those who started turmoil in Middle East opened way for terrorists

Russian President Vladimir Putin is delivering the annual state of the nation address to outline his vision of the guidelines for the country's development for the coming year and for the future

MOSCOW, December 3. /TASS/. The destabilization of the situation in Middle Eastern countries resulted in opening the way for terrorists, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday in his state of the nation address to the Federal Assembly.

Putin said it was well known "who wanted to oust unfavorable regimes by rudely imposing their own rules."

"And what was the result? (They) started this turmoil, destroyed statehood, set people against one another, and then they just, how we say in Russia, washed their hands, opening a way for radicals, extremists and terrorists," the president noted.

Any criminal, bloody business with terrorism is inadmissible

Russian President Vladimir Putin in his State of the Nation Address has said that Russia cannot allow any criminal, bloody business with terrorism.

"Every civilized state must contribute to destroying terrorists, reaffirm its solidarity, not with declarations but by concrete actions, which means that there should be no double standards, no contacts with any terrorist organizations, no attempts to use them for their own purposes, no criminal, bloody business with terrorists," the president said.

Terrorists must be destroyed far away from Russia

According to the president, Russian military in Syria are fighting for their country, destroying terrorists far away from Russia.

"In Syria, our Armed Forces are first of all fighting for Russia, it is security of our people that they are defending," he said, noting that the Russian army and fleet had convincingly demonstrated their military efficiency and growing capabilities.

The biggest threat for Russia was coming from gunmen concentrated in Syria, he said. Putin said many of them had come from Russia or CIS member countries. "They are getting money, weapons, gathering strength. If they get stronger, winning there, they will inevitably come here to sow fear and hatred, to stage blasts, to kill and torture people," Putin said, stressing that they must be destroyed far away from Russia.

That is why the decision had been made on a military operation in Syria on the basis of an official request by the legitimate Syrian authorities, he said.

Common front against international terrorism crucial 

Vladimir Putin has expressed confidence that efforts of one country are not enough to defeat international terrorism.

"It is impossible to defeat international terrorism through efforts of just one country," Putin said in his state of the nation address on Thursday. "Especially in conditions when the borders in the world are practically open, and the world is going through a new resettlement of peoples," he added.

According to the president, exacerbating the situation was financial support the terrorists were getting. "The threat of terrorism is growing. The problem of Afghanistan has not been settled yet. The situation in that country is alarming and does not invite optimism," the president said.

"Stable and by the way quite prosperous until recently countries of the Middle East and North Africa - Iraq, Libya, Syria, have turned into a zone of chaos and anarchy, from which a threat to the whole world comes," he said.

Putin said the fight against terrorism was the fight for freedom and justice, for the lives of the people and the future of the whole civilization. "We know what the aggression of international terrorism means," he reminded the audience. "Russia faced it in the middle of the 1990s, and our country, its citizens saw cruel terrorist attacks," he added.

Acts of terror in Russia have already claimed the lives of thousands, and "this is the pain that will stay with us forever," he said. "It took almost 10 years to chine the bandits," Putin continued. "We have practically squeezed terrorists from Russia. But we are still waging an uncompromising fight against the remaining bandits," he added.

Putin noted that there is an urgent need for presenting a common international front in the struggle against terrorism.

"All disputes and disagreements must be brushed aside and a powerful, united anti-terrorist front created on the basis of international law and under the auspices of the United Nations Organization," Putin said.

Each civilized state is now obliged to contribute to the defeat of terrorists and to back up its solidarity with specific action.

"In the struggle with terrorism Russia demonstrated its extreme responsibility and its leadership," Putin said. "Those resolute actions were supported by Russian society. This is well seen in the attitude of our people to this situation, their deep awareness of the total threat of terrorism and their manifestation of genuine patriotic feelings and high moral qualities."

Putin said that the Russian people have the certainty that national interests, history, traditions and values are to be protected.

"The world community is confronted with stark lessons of the past. Historical parallels are obvious. In the 20th century the reluctance to pool efforts at the right moment in the struggle against Nazism had to be paid for with tens of millions of lives, lost in the bloodiest world war. These days we are faced with a destructive, barbaric ideology and we have no right to permit the newly-emerged obscurants achieve their aims," Putin said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is delivering the annual state of the nation address to outline his vision of the guidelines for the country's development for the coming year and for the future.

The speech is delivered in the Kremlin’s St. George Hall to Russia’s parliament, the Federal Assembly. Thursday's address will be the 22nd one in Russia's latest history and the twelfth for Putin.

Putin's speech is broadcast live by state televisions channels and public radios.

Apart from the Duma deputies and the senators, members of the government, chairpersons of the Constitutional and Supreme Courts, the Prosecutor General, the heads of the Central Election Commission, the Accounting Chamber and the Public Chamber, regional governors, top clerics of major religious denominations, and mass media executives have been invited to attend.