Putin: World must Welcome Syria Step on Chemical Weapons

Local Editor

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said the global community should welcome Syria's decision to join a ban on chemical weapons, saying it shows the "serious intentions" of Damascus.

"I believe we should welcome such a decision of the Syrian leadership. I would like to express hope that it will be a very serious step on the path to solving the Syrian crisis," Putin told a security summit in Kyrgyzstan.
He further stated: "This confirms the serious intentions of our partners to go along this path," he said.

The Russian leader also underlined, "We consider intolerable any foreign military intervention into this country without the UN Security Council sanctions."
He also stressed, "The efforts that have been recently made have permitted to decrease the direct threat of a military operation."

Speaking at the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, Putin reiterated his firm resistance to the use of force against Syria.
"Recent diplomatic efforts have allowed to reduce an immediate threat of a military operation," he asserted.

Similarly, the Chinese President Xi Jinping, speaking at the summit in Bishkek, said his country welcomed Russia's plan.
"We support the Russian initiative to hand over Syrian chemical weapons under international control."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team