Russia, Iran and Iraq have united with the Syrian government, while Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar support various opposition groups in the country – and there are about 160 of them, he said.
“One can surely find someone to support in such a speckled, vibrant environment,” he added.
“Both Saudi Arabia and, of course, Turkey are pursuing their own interests. They have found themselves in quite a difficult situation, complicated by the success of the Syrian government forces, supported by the Russian Aerospace Forces,” Koshkin explained.
Syrian neighbors have rushed in to grab a slice of its “pie”, the expert said, explaining that the US-led coalition forces are in desperate need of a ground operation in the country to be able to “stake their claims” on the Syrian territory.
His comments come in the follow up of the recent announcement of Saudi Arabia that Riyadh is prepared to join any US-led ground operations to fight Daesh.
"The kingdom is ready to participate in any ground operations that the coalition (against Islamic State) may agree to carry out in Syria," Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri announced on Thursday.
Commenting on the above statement, Koshkin said that these regional powers (Saudi Arabia and Turkey) need the support of the US to nail down their possible success at a higher level.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has also commented on the Saudi announcement.
“I am afraid to ask, have you already fought off everyone in Yemen?” Zakharova posted an ironical comment on her page in Facebook.
