Russia's Permanent Representative to the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov, said that the main purpose of Russia in Syria is the fight against terrorism, not winning in the competition with the West for influence in the region.
"Russia has no intention to compete with the West, or fight for influence and certain positions in the region," he said in an interview with CNN.
According to the ambassador, Russia "is focused on the opposition to the obvious threat – terrorism, which is primarily represented by Daesh, Jabhat al-Nusrah and other organizations."
Chizhov said that Moscow's top priority is to ensure the security of Russia and prevent the infiltration of terrorists into its territory.
He also pointed out that such conflicts should be resolved politically, but it is impossible to defeat terrorism without resorting to military force.
