West Ignores Russia's Call for Fighting Terrorism, It Helps Daesh - Gen. Staff

Sputnik – The West ignores Moscow’s proposals on joining efforts in countering terrorism, this creates favourable conditions for Daesh, Russian Chief of General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov said Wednesday.

"Our offers to join efforts in fighting international terrorism are also being ignored by the West. Russia has been fighting radical Islamist groups in Syria since 2015, suppressing terrorism at distance and preventing its progress both to the territory of Russia and Europe. The lack of close cooperation and interaction between our countries on the issue of fighting terrorism creates favourable conditions for Daesh," Gerasimov said at the VI Moscow Conference on International Security.

Earlier in the day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Washington's aggression against Syria postpones the creation of a broad anti-terrorist coalition.

Since September 2015 Russian Aerospace Forces have been carrying out airstrikes in Syria targeted at terrorist positions at the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad. In March 2016, the biggest part of Russian air forces left Syria in line with the decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin, following successful task fulfillment.

Putin announced in December that the Syrian government and armed opposition groups had reached an agreement on a nationwide ceasefire in Syria and on readiness to start peace talks.