Involvement of More Middle East Countries in Conflicts Must Be Stopped

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that the European migrant crisis had escalated due to the devastating conflicts in the Middle East, and in Syria in particular.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — More and more countries in the Middle East become engaged in conflicts and it must be stopped, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told Sputnik in an interview.

The Russian prime minister recalled that Russia has been calling for all differences to be put aside and to unite against the Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) terrorist group, outlawed in Russia, since the very start of the Syrian crisis, but this effort has been hampered by the ambitions of the United States and its allies.

"More and more countries of the Middle East are being pulled into the conflict and it must be stopped," Medvedev said.

He pointed out that the European migrant crisis had escalated due to the devastating conflicts in the Middle East, and in Syria in particular.

Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with the army loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting several opposition factions and militant groups, including Daesh Russia launched an anti-terrorist air campaign in the country at Assad’s request in September 2015.

The Daesh has a number of cells and affiliates, particularly in the Middle East, and recruits foreign fighters, including those from Europe, via social media.

Conflicts are forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee conflict-torn countries in the Middle East and search for safety and refuge elsewhere, in the European Union in particular.

Read the full version of the interview here.