DAMASCUS (Sputnik) — "We believe that Russia's political role, our military efforts in the near term will be turned into substantial economic dividends. Those companies that will come here before others will have a better start," Kinshchak told RIA Novosti in an interview.
Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, when mass anti-government protests against President Bashar Assad and the ruling party escalated to an armed confrontation between government troops and allied militia on the one hand, and Syrian opposition factions on the other.
Apart from fighting the rebels in the ongoing conflict, government forces have had to counter extremist groups as well, including Daesh, which is outlawed in Russia and many other countries. Since September 30, Moscow has been conducting airstrikes on Daesh targets in Syria following a request from Assad.
Russia has been supporting Assad as the legitimate Syrian authority, and is contributing to finding a political solution to the crisis in the conflict-hit country, including mediating intra-Syria talks and helping to organize international meetings on the issue.
Moscow has also been providing the beleaguered Syrian civilian population with humanitarian aid.
