RUSSIA-CRISIS/PUTIN-IRAN-SYRIA Russia's Putin hopes for Iran deal, reaffirms support for Syria's Assad

Record ID: 151720

  • Title: RUSSIA-CRISIS/PUTIN-IRAN-SYRIA Russia's Putin hopes for Iran deal, reaffirms support for Syria's Assad
  • Date: 19th June 2015
  • Summary: ST.PETERSBURG, RUSSIA (JUNE 19,2015) (RUSSIAN POOL) PARTICIPANTS OF ST PETERSBURG INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC FORUM ON STAGE, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN SPEAKING VARIOUS OF PUTIN SPEAKING, U.S. BROADCASTER CHARLIE ROSE LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN PRESIDENT, VLADIMIR PUTIN, SAYING: "(STARTS OVER VARIOUS OF AUDIENCE LISTENING) We will undoubtedly support these a
  • Embargoed: 4th July 2015 13:00
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  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA445PMHCI1O1UYGYP89DJ76AVB
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Russia's President Vladimir Putin said on Friday (June 19) he hoped Iran and world powers would reach a final agreement soon on Tehran's nuclear programme.
    "We will undoubtedly support these agreements. The only thing that, as it seems to me, would be counterproductive, is to demand on purpose, I want to underline it, on purpose in order to ruin the agreements, some things from Iran, that are absolutely impossible and non-essential for the resolution of the main problem, the problem of nonproliferation. But I hope this will not go so far…I think that the signing should take place in the near future," Putin said.
    Iran and the group of six -- the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany -- reached a framework nuclear deal on April 2 in Lausanne. They aim for a final agreement by June 30 under which Iran would restrain its nuclear program in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.
    The Russian leader also urged the U.S. President Barack Obama to take an active part in the process.
    "So the ball will be in your court, but we expect that, taking into the account all the difficulties, the president of the United States will manage to reach a result that will be undoubtedly among the main foreign policy achievements of his presidency," Putin said.
    He also reaffirmed Russia's support for Syria's President Bashar al-Assad saying that it was driven by concerns that any forcible overthrow of the president would plunge his war-shattered country into even deeper disarray.
    Speaking at an economic conference in the city of St Petersburg, Putin also said Russia was concerned that fighting could worsen in Syria and come to resemble the conflict in Libya.
    "Our position is based on the concern that Syria may fall into the same condition as … Libya or as Iraq," he said.
    "This is the main grounds of our support for President Assad and his government. We think that this is the right position, it would be hard to expect something different from us. Moreover, as it appears to me, many people now agree with this position of ours," he added.
    Russia is a Syrian ally and has protected President Bashar al-Assad from the U.N. Security Council action during the four-year civil war.
    The United Nations says some 220,000 people have been killed and an estimated 7.6 million are internally displaced. Another 4 million people have fled the country.
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