The beginning of Russia's military operation in Syria was a turning point for the Syrian crisis, senior lecturer at the School of Oriental Studies of the Higher School of Economics Andrei Chuprygin said, commenting today on the latest successes of the Syrian army, which, with the support of Russian aerospace forces, was able to liberate a number of strategically important locations, as well as to break the blockade of Deir ez-Zor.
"Of course, no one downplays the role of Iran and Hezbollah in the current victories of Damascus, as well as the role of the Syrian armed forces - but Russia's interference in has changed the course of events. Middle East has always been the arena where interests of external players clash, and Syria is no exception: if Russia didn't support Damascus, the United States would intervene to support the interests of its ally, Saudi Arabia. This could not be allowed, and Russia's intervention was the main factor, which is already beginning to stabilize the situation," he explained.
According to the expret, reducing the level of tension in the conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia was an important factor in stabilizing situation in the entire Middle East.
"What we see in the Middle East is a competition between these two states for economic and political leadership in the region. War in Syria and regional tensions will continue until Iran and Saudi Arabia will negotiate and discuss their interests," he said.
In connection with the, the future of Syria remains uncertain. "As a winner, President Bashar Assad will remain the head of state, but the future depends on many factors. Even the victory over Daesh will not resolve the crisis, and it's hard to predict its development in the future. The thing is that there are too many actors - Kurds, Turkey, which has its own interests, Saudi Arabia, which doesn't want Iran to stay in Syria, Iran, which considers Syria to be strategically important territory," he noted.
