Ex-Czech FM Urges EU to Work With Russia to End War in Syria

© Sputnik / Mikhail Voskresenskiy / Go to the mediabankFormer Deputy Prime Minister of the Czech Republic (2002-2004) and Minister of Foreign Affairs (2002-2006) Cyril Svoboda
Former Deputy Prime Minister of the Czech Republic (2002-2004) and Minister of Foreign Affairs (2002-2006) Cyril Svoboda - Sputnik International
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Cyril Svoboda, a former foreign minister of the Czech Republic, said that Europe will lose out unless it finds a way to achieve rapprochement with Russia and end the Syrian crisis thus resolving the EU migration crisis.

A pilot of a Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet gestures before taking off at the Hmeymim air base near Latakia, Syria - Sputnik International
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MOSCOW (Sputnik), Alexander Mosesov — The European Union should resume its cooperation with Russia in order to tackle the ongoing migrant crisis, Cyril Svoboda, a former foreign minister of the Czech Republic, told Sputnik on Thursday.

"We need to stop the war in Syria because the wave of migrants is very dangerous for Europe. In this respect, it is very important to cooperate with Russia," Svoboda said on the sidelines of the broadcaster RT's international conference in Moscow.

He added that the anti-Russia sanctions are also part of the problem and their lifting depends on the implementation of the Minsk deal on Ukrainian reconciliation.

"We can see some positive changes in the atmospheres now but when it comes to Syria, I think we should put aside the differences here," Svoboda, who also served as the Czech deputy prime minister, pointed out.

Also Svoboda stated Europe will lose out unless it finds a way to achieve rapprochement with Russia and end the Syrian crisis thus resolving the EU migration crisis.

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"We need the Russians to stop the war in Syria and to stop the migration into Europe. We need to find a compromise because if that’s not the case, we will lose too much," Svoboda said.

Russia began counter-terrorist strikes in Syria on September 30 following a request from Damascus.

Moscow has been stressing the importance of a military and political solution to Syria's civil war that has displaced millions of Syrian within the country, with millions also fleeing abroad.

Relations between Russia and the European Union went downhill in 2014, when Brussels joined Washington in accusing Moscow of fueling the Ukrainian crisis, imposing economic sanctions as a punitive measure. The Russian authorities have refuted the allegations, warning that the Western sanctions are counterproductive.

Europe is currently struggling to deal with a massive refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and North Africa and seeking asylum in Europe.

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