European Parliament understands why Putin needs Syria
President of the Political Group of the European Conservatives and Reformists in the European Parliament Syed Kamall said this in exclusive comments to an Ukrinform correspondent in Brussels.
"The New York UN General Assembly summit has indeed happened at a very difficult moment for the international community, with growing tensions not only in Ukraine, but also recent worrying developments in Syria and the wider Middle East. I found the message sent by President Poroshenko to be a very strong and concise one and I agree with its main points, especially on Ukraine being a target of external aggression initiated by Russia and that Kremlin is using its powers as a permanent UN Security Council Member to block important initiatives, like condemnation of "fake referendum" on Crimea’s annexation and establishment of the MH17 International Tribunal. Lack of progress in the East of Ukraine and continued Russian provocation, as well as the strengthening of rebels, are extremely worrisome, especially in the context of the quickly approaching deadline for fulfilling the Minsk Agreements," he said.
President Putin in New York tried to portray himself as a potential leader of a new anti-terrorist coalition and focused mainly on the situation in the Middle East, devoting only a brief comment to the situation in Ukraine. Even then he only devoted a few sentences, suggesting the West was guilty of "instigating a coup d’état from abroad".
According to Syed Kamall, the involvement of Moscow in Syria on the side of Assad is further disturbing news and I would not exclude the possibility that one of its goals is to shift the attention of the international community away from Crimea, Donbas and Luhansk.
"In the European Parliament the European Conservatives and Reformists Group will keep the focus on the East and continue to unconditionally support the territorial integrity of Ukraine, the reform process in the country and providing our full assistance to authorities in order to resolve the current crisis," he said.
