France’s ex-PM: It's clear that Russia is at the center of political initiatives on Syria

PARIS, October 13. /TASS/. A renowned French politician considers Russia an irreplaceable partner in hammering out initiatives to settle the Syrian conflict.

"It is absolutely clear that the settlement of the Syrian problem is impossible without Russia. It was Russia that carried out the major diplomatic job, which neither France and nor the US could do, the latter by the way bears heavy responsibility for the developments in Syria," Jean-Pierre Raffarin, the current senator and France’s ex-Prime Minister told BFM TV on Thursday.

"It was Russia that established successful cooperation with Iran and Turkey. Moreover, even in spite of the incident with the Russian plane downed by Turkey," the politician went on.

"It is absolutely clear that Russia is at the center of political initiatives nowadays, while the West and France cannot make any political plans for the future as to the settlement of outstanding problems without negotiations with Russia," Raffarin said.

As a close ally of Jacques Chirac, he recalled the former French president’s stance on the invasion of Iraq. "Jacques Chirac said war begets war, while in Iraq the war also generated terrorism," he said.

"It is necessary to get back to diplomacy-based decisions. It is diplomacy that helps achieve peace. That is why, there won’t be peace without diplomacy stepping in," the politician added.

"France should specify its foreign policy, it should not center on appeals to waging wars - although the country’s defense is necessary. The policy should be not only independent, but also oriented towards relations both with Russia, the US and China. France’s independent stance is necessary not for wars, but for achieving peace," Jean-Pierre Raffarin explained.