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Conflict in Syria

Russian Foreign Ministry: All Syrian society groups, including Kurds should unite

Russian president’s special representative for the Middle East and Africa met with the co-chair of Syria’s Kurdish Democratic Union Party

Russian Foreign Ministry Gennady Khameliyanin/TASS Archive

Russian Foreign Ministry

© Gennady Khameliyanin/TASS Archive

MOSCOW, October 21. /TASS/. The Russian Foreign Ministry has said on Wednesday that all ethnic and religious groups of the Syrian society, including the Kurds, need to consolidate their efforts for eradicating the source of terrorism.

The ministry made the statement after a meeting of Russian president’s special representative for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov with Asia Osman, co-chair of Syria’s Kurdish Democratic Union Party, and head of the local government in the city of Kobani Anwar Muslim.

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"During the meeting the sides had a substantive exchange of views on the situation in Syria and around it," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. "The Russian side emphasised the need to consolidate the efforts of all ethnic and religious groups of the Syrian society, including the Kurds, for the elimination of the dangerous terrorist source in Syria and launching an inclusive political process through a broad national dialogue on the basis of the Geneva communique of 30 June 2012." The ministry said that the dialogue should "result in such consensus agreements that would guarantee a reliable solution to the current systemic crisis in the country and would carry out the hopes and ensure the exercise of the legitimate rights of all Syrians."

"The Syrian representatives said they shared this principled approach and that their aim was to have the terrorists and extremists defeated, as well as to ensure unity in a democratic secular Syria," said the Russian Foreign Ministry.

A report published by the UN in March 2015 estimated the total economic loss since the start of the conflict was $202 billion and that four in every five Syrians were now living in poverty - 30% of them in abject poverty. Syria's education, health and social welfare systems are also in a state of collapse.

As many as 7.6 million Syrians have been internally displaced within the country, bringing the total number forced to flee their homes to more than 11 million - half the country's pre-crisis population. Overall, an estimated 12.2 million are in need of humanitarian assistance inside Syria, including 5.6 million children, the UN says.

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