Exactly five years ago, the Federation Council approved the request of the Russian President to start a military operation in Syria. Syria is our friend, it recognized South Ossetia, and diplomatic relations have been established between us. Therefore, we are not indifferent to the processes that are developing there; we are not indifferent to the future of the Syrian people.
If we compare the state of Syria at the time of the first active actions of Russia with the current state of affairs, it is striking that peace reigns in most of the country. Also, the past years have brought great clarity to the question of who actually supports the gangs of international terrorists, whose aggression the Western countries and Turkey cover their far-reaching plans with regard to Syria.