Moscow is promoting a strategy of fighting terrorism and extremism in the Middle East and North Africa

By Vestnik Kavkaza

Yesterday Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Prime Minister David Cameron about the necessity of resuming talks on Syria. They came to the conclusion that they would assist in finding a solution to the problem of the civil war in Syria. In particular, stopping the increasing influence of Islamic State is in the interests of Moscow and London. Now the political advisers of the two countries are to meet and resume negotiations on the Syrian conflict.

However, according to Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, Moscow is looking at the situation in Syria with growing alarm. ISIS fighters have proclaimed a caliphate on a substantial part of Syrian and Iraqi territory. ISIS is also present in Lebanon and Libya. In parallel, other terrorist groups are stepping up their actions, including al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula. Due to the continued bombing of Yemen, al-Qaeda has gained the most advantages and consolidated its positions in the country.

Lavrov said that Moscow would will insist on an early restart of the political process. "We have done a great deal to prepare the ground for this. Moscow hosted two meetings of various representatives of the Syrian opposition and the Syrian Government. The participants of the second meeting last April approved the Moscow platform that contains about 10 basic principles on which they all agreed – both representatives of the opposition and the Syrian Government. We will actively use the potential amassed in Moscow during the contacts that are now held with the participation of Russia and other countries under the aegis of UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura. These contacts are maintained in the form of consultations with various Syrian sides and external players in Geneva. Upon their completion, the participants will make an official proposal regarding the resumption of a fully-fledged political process."

According to the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the main thing is to avoid the mistakes of the past, when the range of opposition representatives was reduced to a single structure – the National Coalition, which can by no means speak for the entire Syrian opposition.

"Speaking on a broader plane, we are promoting in the UN the initiative that we made last September concerning the need to draft under the aegis of the UN Security Council and based on a meticulous and honest analysis a strategy for countering terrorism and extremism in the Middle East and North Africa.

 It is essential to avoid double-standards when, depending on political affiliation, in one case terrorists are resisted and in another are used to help topple unwanted regimes. It will be difficult for our partners to ignore this proposal. We will insist that only comprehensive strategies approved by all that do not allow for double-standards will serve as an efficient response by the international community to the mounting terrorist threat in the region."