SOCHI, October 24. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has criticized Western countries for their selective support to Islamic extremists to attain their goals. The Russian leader has made a specific statement to participants of international discussion club Valdai which is meeting in Russian Black Sea resort city of Sochi on Friday.
“By the way, I continue to be surprised that our partners step, as we say, on the same rack again and again. In the meantime, they have sponsored Islamic extremist movements for the fight with the Soviet Union which passed through hostilities in Afghanistan. Taliban and Al-Qaeda grew from them,” Putin recalled.
In his words, the West “did not support, but turned a blind eye” to an invasion of international terrorists into Russia and Central Asian states. “We did not forget this,” the Russian president said.
In the view of the president, the United States began to understand a common threat of terrorism after terrible terrorist attacks staged on September 11, 2001, when Russia was one of first countries to support American people and government.
“At talks with US and European leaders, I said repeatedly that joint fight against terrorism as a global challenge is needed. We cannot put up with this challenge, and this cannot be curbed using double standards. They agreed with us, but little time passed, and everything got back on the same track again,” Putin said.
The president said that after interference in Libyan affairs that country was brought to the brink of collapse and became a stronghold for terrorists. As for Egypt, only “the will and wisdom of current leadership” allowed preventing chaos and rampaging of extremists in this North African country.
“In Syria as in the past times the United States and its allies began to fund directly and supply gunmen with weapons," Putin noted.