Damascus/Prague, Dec 1 (CTK) – The Russian intervention has been the most important moment in the latest development of the civic war in Syria, Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview with the public Czech Television (CT).
He defended the steps he has taken during the war that has continued for almost five years and praised the Czech Republic for being one of few countries that have kept a functioning embassy in Damascus.
The terrorists shed blood in Syria and the task of the government is to protect lives by destroying the terrorists. Even though blood is shed, this is done in defence of the homeland, Assad said.
The fact that more than 250,000 people have died during the war is the result of that many terrorists supported by regional powers and the West operate in Syria, Assad said.
He said Russia´s involvement in the bombing of the radicals in Syria is of fundamental importance.
Moscow started air strikes on September 30.
Assad said the Russians are very serious about the anti-terrorism struggle and they and the Syrian military cooperate.
Assad was elected for a third seven-year term last year, but the Syrian opposition and its allies dismissed the voting as a farce.
Assad said Moscow cooperates with the Syrian regime, which is not true of the United States. It has headed the allies carrying out air strikes in Syria for more than a year, but their effort does not produce any results, Assad said.
