Afghanistan & Middle East hotbeds of instability: Russian Prez Putin

Baku : Voicing concern over the terror attacks that have been increasing at the international level, the Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed to Afghanistan and the Middle East as the hotbeds of instability. He warned that the instability in these regions could prove responsible for international terrorism and cross-border crimes. President Putin was all the more concerned as these countries were in the immediate vicinity of the borders of Russia, of Iran and those of Azerbaijan as well.

In a recent interview with an Azerbaijani news agency, President Putin stated that a stern stand against terrorism was the utmost need of the hour.

“Terror attacks perpetrated in different regions the world over, prove that terrorism can be countered with collective co-operation, with the co-ordination of the UN and with the guidelines of the international law. There cannot be ‘good’ and ‘bad’ terrorism and so no double standards in the matter either. It is as dangerous to offer political support to terrorist and extremist outfits as it is to exploit these outfits out of political interest because this means nothing but an invitation to serious trouble” said Putin expressing disapproval of the stand that the western nations had taken on the issue of Syria.

The Russian President made clear that Russia in any case, was observing all the norms in its fight against terrorism. It was adhering to these very norms that Russia was appealing to the international community to fight terrorism, he stated, adding further that it was this very policy that the co-operation among Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan in the fight terrorism, fell back on.

The US and its allies have been supporting Syrian rebels in the conflict in Syria. Russia has denounced these rebels who stand in opposition to the Assad government in Syria, saying they are no different from the terrorists of the ‘IS’. Earlier, Russia had even specified that it would co-operate with the US in the fight against the ‘IS’ terrorists in Syria only on condition that the US parted ways with these rebels.