"The terrorist organizations in Iraq and Syria, including the Islamic State, comprise people coming from 70 to 80 countries, including Russians," said The Russian President's Special Envoy to the Middle East, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov.
Mikhail Bogdanov stated that fight against the increasingly active terrorist groups in the West Asia and North Africa was the key theme at the ministerial week at the 69th session of the UN General Assembly.
“The terrorist organizations, including the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) also comprise Russian citizens. In essence, we are dealing with the terrorist international. People coming from many countries, 70 or 80 states are fighting there [in Iraq and Syria]. Everybody is concerned over the fact that these people go there and return. They undergo training there, acquiring skills and therefore they pose a major threat to national security of their countries,” Bogdanov said in an interview with the Kommersant daily.
Bogdanov believes ISIS terrorist group poses a threat to Russia. Answering the question how many Russians are fighting in Iraq and Syria, he said: "I suppose, there are tens of them".
Russia is against Washington-led coalition measures without UN resolution. Pointing to the probable ground phase this coalition against ISIS terrorist group in Syria and Iraq, Bogdanov said, "It’s a very complicated issue. It depends on what the ground phase will be like, who will participate in it, and which goals will be pursued."
"All these issues may be settled within the framework of the UN Security Council and based on the UN Charter; this is a way for constructive interaction among the international community members. As far as some kind of ground operation is concerned, this certainly requires such [approved by the UN] decisions and most importantly - interaction with the leadership of the states where such operations may theoretically be conducted," Bogdanov added.
Nevertheless, America and its allies do whatever they want, without attaining any permission neither from Syria nor from UN. As Samantha Power, America's permanent representative to the UN said, Washington feels that it has no need to take permission for its military measures. In addition, she declared that the final objective of America in Syria is to strengthen the oppositions, indeed good terrorists, and to oust president Bashar al-Assad. Turkey seeks the same goal too. Indeed, America and its allies are serving their own interests and fighting terrorism is a good pretext for them to achieve their goals.
