Putin: No Outsider to Decide on Syria, Improving Ties with Turkey Not on Horizon
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Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that Russia's stance on Syria has not changed.
He stressed that only Syrian people are to decide their own fate.
"I have repeatedly stated and I am ready to stress once again: we will never agree with the idea that a third party, whoever this party is, has the right to impose its will on another country. This does not make any sense. This is a violation of international legal standards," Putin said.
In his major end-of-the-year press conference, Putin also added that he discussed the Syrian crisis with John Kerry during his Moscow visit.
"As soon as we notice the political process has begun, and the Syrian government decides it is time to stop the airstrikes, [we are going to stop]. We are not going to be more Syrians than Syrians themselves. We don't need this, do we? The sooner it [the process] starts the better," Putin said.
Putin added that Russia will support any Syria till the political process starts as it is very important to get all parties concerned to negotiate.
On the crisis with Turkey, he said "sees no prospect" of improving relations with the current leadership of Turkey after it downed a Russian jet bomber last month.
"It is hard for us to reach agreement with the current Turkish leadership, if at all possible," Putin added. The Russian President further stated that the downing of the Russian warplane was "an act of enmity" and he did not understand why Turkey did it.
"What have they achieved? Maybe, they thought that we would run away from there [Syria]? But Russia is not such a country."
Putin added that his country was prepared to face any economic situation as the country's energy-dependent economy reels from lower oil prices.
"The government, of course, is preparing scenarios for any development of the situation," Putin said at his annual press conference in Moscow.
He said Russia had calculated its 2016 budget based an oil price of $50 per barrel, a figure he said was an "optimistic" assessment of the situation as the Brent hovered around $37.
"Volatility [in oil prices] is very high," Putin said "We will not hurry to recalculate and make adjustments to the budget because it entails a reduction in funding and in the social sphere and the real sector."
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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