Putin urges to drop geopolitical ambitions in int'l anti-terror fight

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that the international community should abandon geopolitical ambitions and join forces to combat terrorism.

"We should put geopolitical ambitions aside, abandon the so-called double standards and the policy of using certain terrorist groups, either directly or indirectly, to achieve opportunist goals," Putin told a summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Dushanbe.

Putin considered the current situation in Syria, Iraq and the whole of Middle East as very serious, noting that Islamic State militants controlled large territories in the region and were advancing on other areas.

"Terrorists publicly claim that they set their sights on attacking Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. They are planning to expand their activities to Europe, Russia, Central and Southeast Asia," an online official transcript quoted Putin as saying.

The president also voiced his concerns over terrorism and extremism penetrating Afghanistan, where the security situation has already been degrading.

Therefore, it is a responsibility as well as common sense for the international community to make concerted efforts to deal with the threat of terrorism, Putin said.

Russia wants to create a wide coalition, in the Eurasian region and in the Euro-Atlantic zone as well, to safeguard the security and stability. And the coalition welcomes any country that is ready or has already begun to make efforts on this matter, Putin said.

"Today it is also essential to pool the efforts of the Syrian government, the Kurdish militia, the moderate opposition and other parties in the region in the struggle against threats to the very statehood of Syria and against terrorism," he said.

Putin also confirmed that Moscow would continue to provide military and technical assistance to Damascus, while speaking highly of "the active participation" of the Syrian authorities and army in the fight against the Islamic State.

Terrorists cannot be expelled from that country or from the whole region without the active participation of the Syrian government, Putin said, adding that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was ready to cooperate with certain opposition forces in the political transformation and state governance in Syria.

Founded in 1992 within the framework of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the CSTO currently has six members -- Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, with Afghanistan and Serbia as observers. Endi