Russia stands for territorial integrity of Middle Eastern countries - Kremlin spokesman

MOSCOW, February 19. /TASS/. Russia stands for territorial integrity of all countries in the Middle East and does not see an alternative to a diplomatic process, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday. "Everyone, including Russia, is interested in preserving the territorial and political integrity of all countries in the region, including Syria," Peskov said. He added that "everyone, including (Russian President Vladimir) Putin proceed from the assumption that there is no alternative to a political solution of the problem." "At the same time, I will remind Putin’s statement from the day before yesterday saying that it is necessary to defeat terrorists in order to resolve the crisis," he noted. Russian envoy to the United Nations Organization Vitaly Churkin said earlier that if the Syrian authorities do not agree to a ceasefire, this can result in the fact that the armed conflict in the country will last "very, very long." "If the Syrian authorities, despite the internal political situation and the propaganda policy which they need to pursue, follow Russia’s lead in resolving this crisis, they will have a chance to get out of the crisis with dignity," Churkin said. ""If somehow they stray from this path - and again this is my personal assessment - a very difficult situation could emerge, including for themselves. Whatever capabilities the Syrian army has, the effective operation of the Russian Aerospace Forces made it possible for it to hurl the enemy back from Damascus," he added. Read more