The president says Moscow hopes the de-escalation zones will not serve as a blueprint for new borders.
ST. PETERSBURG, June 1. /TASS/. Moscow remains apprehensive about the potential danger of Syria’s dismemberment and hopes that the de-escalation zones will not serve as a blueprint for any new borders, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a meeting with the world’s mass media bosses.
"Does the possible dismemberment of Syria arouse concern? It certainly does," the Russian leader stressed. "We are establishing de-escalation zones now and we are afraid that these de-escalation zones may turn into a blueprint for future borders." He emphasized that Russia hopes these safety zones would serve "to interact with the Assad government, to start at least some kind of a dialogue, some interaction, as this would help future political cooperation in order to restore Syria’s control over its entire territory and preserve the country’s territorial integrity."