MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Joint actions of the Russian Aerospace Forces and the Syrian government troops against terrorists have created favorable conditions for promoting intra-Syrian dialogue, Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council Mikhail Popov said.
"[Russian troops' actions coordinated with the Syrian government] have caused a significant damage to international terrorist groups in Syria, contributed to the radical change of the situation, created favorable conditions for promoting the intra-Syrian dialogue to serve the interests of the political settlement of the conflict," Popov told the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper in an interview.
"Russian decision to send aerospace forces to Syria in response to the appeal of the leadership of this country, was dictated by a clear understanding of the need to prevent the increase of the terrorist threat," Popov added.
Earlier in May, Russia, Turkey and Iran signed the memorandum on establishment of safe zones in the country as part of the Astana talks on Syrian settlement. The four zones include the northwestern Idlib province and parts of the neighboring Latakia, Hama and Aleppo, the north of the central Homs province, Eastern Ghouta near Damascus, as well as southern Daraa and Quneitra regions.
The Syrian conflict has been raging since 2011 with its government troops fighting against numerous opposition and terrorist groups. The Kurdish-led SDF launched the Wrath of Euphrates operation in November 2016 aimed at the liberation of Raqqa city from terrorists.
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