President Putin accuses the West of "playing a double game" in Syria

According to Reuters news agency, on October 22, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that his country is preparing to exchange information about the location of Islamic rebels in Syria with Western countries, something Moscow has wanted to do for many weeks.

Speaking at a conference of political scientists called the "Valdai Club" in Sochi, Mr Putin also accused the West of playing a "double game" with terrorist groups in Syria.

“It is very difficult to play a double game: declaring a war on terrorism but at the same time seeking to use terrorism to make moves on the Middle East chessboard in pursuit of one’s own interests,” he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

The leader also said that it is impossible to classify terrorists into moderate or non-moderate forces, and called on Syrian government and Kurdish forces to unite.

According to the Russian President, the sole purpose of the campaign launched by his country in Syria is to restore peace and help Damascus create conditions for a political solution.

Mr Putin stressed that Moscow had no plans to expand air strikes in the region.

President Putin also said that Syrian leaders must establish channels of contact with opposition forces that are ready for dialogue, and affirmed that President Bashar al-Assad is ready for this dialogue.

Mr Putin revealed that he had asked his Syrian counterpart how he viewed a genuine armed opposition ready to fight the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) and Mr Assad had responded that he viewed it in a "positive" way.

According to Mr. Putin, internal political problems are also a cause of the Syrian crisis, not just the Islamic rebels./.

According to Vietnam+