Alexander Yushchenko: thanks to Russia Syria coming back to life

Syria is coming back to normal life thanks to Russia's peacekeeping efforts, the Deputy Chairman of of the State Duma Committee for Information Policy, Information Technologies and Communication, Alexander Yushchenko, who was among the Russian parliamentarians who visited Syria recently, said speaking to the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza.

"During this visit to Syria, it became clear that, at least, the prospect for peace appeared on the horizon. There were new buildings, life has resumed its normal course even on the road from Beirut, through which we traveled to Damascus. The city of Maaloula, which Christian churches were completely destroyed not so long ago, was liberated. In the first place, it has been done with the help of Russian air forces, playing a huge role in the settlement of the Syrian conflict. Ironically, we were able to turn the tide of the war through the military approach," he stressed.

The change in the battlefield situation was followed by diplomatic successes. "Hence, there was Astana as the main platform for peace negotiations. The merit of Astana is that those opposition members, who had never agreed to enter dialogue, sat down at the negotiating table. The good thing about the Astana talks is, the representatives of the so-called opposition are not acting under pressure from the West and their other supervisors, as it happens in Geneva, for example. That is why there is a free and direct discussion in the capital of Kazakhstan, and all the prospects for a peaceful settlement are linked to this platform, although the Geneva format must be continued," Alexander Yushchenko noted.

The deputy noted that currently only Russia is helping Syria to restore the liberated territories. "While visiting Aleppo, we saw with our own eyes that the international organizations has left the region, including the ICRC. Today, only our representatives from the Centre for Reconciliation are providing hot meals and water to children there. In Aleppo, the transition from disaster to normal life is completely invisible: from destroyed eastern regions you get into normal life of the city's western part in an instant, and vice versa, after the usual city you find yourself in a humanitarian catastrophe," he said.

"Now the return of people to their land is clearly seen. The people are tired of this war. I think that if President Bashar al-Assad runs in elections, he will be supported by the majority of the population, as Assad is a symbol of resistance to terrorism and attempts to destroy Syria from the outside," Alexander Yushchenko added.

According to him, Bashar al-Assad at a meeting with the Russian MPs spoke about the willingness to take the necessary political steps to establish peace in the country. "In particular, he is ready to negotiate with the Kurds. It is clear that the West will not be satisfied, but there is no other political force in Syria that can keep the country in a peaceful state. While respecting all democratic standards, Assad will win the following presidential elections. And many are not going to like it - those who unleashed the Syrian crisis and continue to support it," the Deputy Chairman of of the State Duma Committee for Information Policy, Information Technologies and Communication concluded.