Russia marks the fifth anniversary of the beginning of its military operation in Syria having entered a new, political stage of settling the conflict through facilitating intra-Syrian reconciliation, Syrian lawmaker Ahmad Meree told Sputnik on Wednesday commenting on the occasion
ST. PETERSBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th September, 2020) Russia marks the fifth anniversary of the beginning of its military operation in Syria having entered a new, political stage of settling the conflict through facilitating intra-Syrian reconciliation, Syrian lawmaker Ahmad Meree told Sputnik on Wednesday commenting on the occasion.
The operation was launched on September 30, 2015 as an airstrike campaign against various militant groups operating against the government of Bashar Assad. After delivering results, over time the Russian military presence obtained both peacekeeping and humanitarian dimensions in order to save the middle Eastern country from falling into hands of a radical element.
"The role of Russia has changed if we compare it with the beginning of military operation in Syria. This year, Russia hand in hand with the Syrians completely freed Syria from IS [Islamic State terrorist group, outlawed in Russia] and now tries to push forward the Syrian political process. It is a new stage, which is not less important than the fight against terrorism," Ahmad Meree said.
The politician recalled that five years ago on the day of the first Russian airstrike against radical groups in Syria he was studying in Lebanon and while being the president of the Syrian students assosiation in this Middle Eastern county, he organized a demonstration in support of the Russian operation.
"I took the students and I made a demonstration in front of the Russian Embassy in Beirut and we said: Thanks Russia! It was a very important day for us, Syrian people!" he said.
Today, Russia is heavily involved not only in military and peacekeeping activities but also in helping rebuild the war-torn country, facilitating return of refugees and displaced people, restoring peaceful way of life and facilitating the start of the dialogue between different political and military fractures.
