Vladimir Putin Calls for Forming Broad Anti-terrorist Coalition

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday called for creating a broad international anti-terrorist coalition and  warned against flirting with terrorists.

He also suggested discussing a resolution on coordination of forces fighting against the Islamic State group and said that a comprehensive solution to the refugee problem in the Middle East is only possible by restoring statehood in countries where it has been destroyed.

Adressing the session of the United Nations General Assembly taking place in New York, Putin said the Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad represents stability and is the solution rather than the problem.

Putin also said that the Syrian government forces needed support to fight the Islamic State extremists.

“We think it’s an enormous mistake to refuse to cooperate with the Syrian government,” Putin said. “No one but Assad’s forces are truly fighting the Islamic State.”

Putin is scheduled to meet US President Barack Obama at about 2200 GMT on Monday and Syria is expected to be high on the agenda of the meeting. It will be the first encounter of the two presidents in nearly a year and comes amid a Russian military build-up in Syria.