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WORLD NEWS 9
Wednesday 16 September

Putin defends Russia’s military assistance to Syrian regime

Russian President Vladimir Putin signs papers at the meeting cess as long as bloodshed vide him with weapons de- terrorist atrocities,” he said.
of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in continues and people spite Western criticism. “Without Russia’s support
Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2015. Russian President don’t feel secure. We won’t Putin shrugged off allega- for Syria, the situation in the
Vladimir Putin on Tuesday strongly defended Moscow’s military achieve anything until we tions that Moscow’s sup- country would have been
assistance to the Syrian government, saying it’s impossible to defeat terrorism in Syria.” port for Assad has sparked worse than in Libya, and
defeat the Islamic State group without cooperating with the He also urged Europeans a flow of refugees, saying the flow of refugees would
Syrian government. to stop supporting “ter- that without Russia’s sup- have been even bigger.”
rorists” to stem a flow of port for Assad’s regime the The Pentagon says that
(Mikhail Klimentyev/RIA-Novosti via AP) refugees from Syria. Russia number of Syrian refugees Russia is in the midst of a
has staunchly backed up heading to Europe would steady military buildup at
Assad throughout Syria’s have been even bigger. an airport in Syria’s coastal
devastating civil war that “People are fleeing Syria province of Latakia, indi-
has killed about 250,000 primarily to escape fighting cating Moscow intends to
people and turned millions that has been fueled from create a forward air opera-
into refugees, shielding him the outside with supplies of tions base there, although
from United Nations sanc- weapons and hardware, no fighter jets or helicopters
tions and continuing to pro- they are fleeing to escape have arrived yet.q

V. ISACHENKOV military, it would be impos-
Associated Press sible to expel the terrorists
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian from that country and the
President Vladimir Putin on region as a whole, and to
Tuesday strongly defended protect the multi-ethnic
Moscow’s military assis- and multi-confessional Syr-
tance to the Syrian govern- ian people from destruc-
ment, saying it’s impossible tion.” He said that Assad
to defeat the Islamic State was ready to conduct po-
group without cooperating litical transformations and
with Damascus. engage a “healthy part of
Putin’s statement comes the opposition,” but added
amid the signs of an ongo- that “pooling forces in the
ing Russian military buildup fight against terror takes the
in Syria, which the U.S. says priority now.”
signals Moscow’s intention The signs of a Russian mili-
to set up an air base there. tary buildup in Syria have
Speaking at a meeting of worried Washington, which
heads of states at a Mos- sees Assad as the cause
cow-dominated security al- of the Syrian crisis and has
liance of ex-Soviet nations warned Moscow against
in Tajikistan, Putin urged trying to shore up his re-
other nations to follow Rus- gime.
sia’s example and offer In an interview with Russian
military support to Syrian media, excerpts of which
President Bashar Assad’s were carried Tuesday,
government. Assad reaffirmed his long-
“We are supporting the time claim that it’s neces-
government of Syria in the sary to uproot “terrorism”
fight against a terrorist ag- before discussing political
gression, are offering and reforms.
will continue to offer it nec- “We must continue a dia-
essary military-technical as- logue for the sake of reach-
sistance,” Putin said in tele- ing consensus,” he said,
vised remarks. “Without an according to Russian news
active participation of the agencies. “But it’s impos-
Syrian authorities and the sible to achieve real suc-