Syria's crisis can only be solved by strengthening its government - Putin
MOSCOW. Sept 28 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed that he is in favor of keeping the Bashar al-Assad's government in power and stressed that he sees no other way to settle Syria but to strengthen its existing legitimate government agencies.
In an interview he gave to the CBS and PBS television channels ahead of his speech at the UN General Assembly the Russian president was asked whether keeping al-Assad in power was the goal of the Russian presence in Syria.
"That's right, that's how it is," Putin said.
"Moreover, I strongly believe that by acting otherwise, acting to destroy the legitimate bodies of power we would create a situation that we are witnessing today in other countries of the region or in other regions of the world, for instance, in Libya, where all state institutions have completely disintegrated. Unfortunately, we are witnessing a similar situation in Iraq," the president said.
"There is no other way to settle the Syrian conflict other than by strengthening the existing legitimate government agencies, support them in their fight against terrorism and, of course, at the same time encourage them to start a positive dialogue with the "healthy" part of the opposition and launch political transformations," Putin said.