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Conflict in Syria

Russia fears Syria's dismemberment — Putin

The president says Moscow hopes the de-escalation zones will not serve as a blueprint for new borders

Damaged streets at the mountain resort town of Zabadani in the Damascus countryside, Syria AP Photo/Hassan Ammar

Damaged streets at the mountain resort town of Zabadani in the Damascus countryside, Syria

© AP Photo/Hassan Ammar

ST. PETERSBURG, June 1. /TASS/. Moscow remains apprehensive about the potential danger of Syria’s dismemberment and hopes that the de-escalation zones will not serve as a blueprint for any new borders, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a meeting with the world’s mass media bosses.

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"Does the possible dismemberment of Syria arouse concern? It certainly does," the Russian leader stressed. "We are establishing de-escalation zones now and we are afraid that these de-escalation zones may turn into a blueprint for future borders." He emphasized that Russia hopes these safety zones would serve "to interact with the Assad government, to start at least some kind of a dialogue, some interaction, as this would help future political cooperation in order to restore Syria’s control over its entire territory and preserve the country’s territorial integrity."

"Is it possible or not? It may seem strange, but as I see it, this is possible," Putin noted. "Some enclaves controlled by the armed opposition not far from Damascus would be a perfect example." As he put it, they are being controlled by the opposition instead of Bashar al-Assad’s central government, whereas people keep interacting: people from these enclaves go to work in Damascus and back home every day. "So, some kind of cooperation, some interaction is possible. This happens in everyday life. If it is possible there, why would it not be possible in some de-escalation zone like in the Idlib province or in the south? We must be patient, treat each other with respect and follow this path," the Russian president said.

Putin also noted that Turkey has concerns regarding terrorism, and Russia is well aware of that. "We are trying to work constructively with Turkey regarding these issues as well," the Russian leader emphasized. "We have a similar position on Syria. If we did not share a similar approach on some key issues with Turkey, there would not be a ceasefire, nor a de-escalation or de-escalation zone agreements." Putin stressed that all of these things had been achieved through agreements between Russia, Turkey, Iran and, of course, thanks to President Assad’s own accord.

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