West unleashed WWIII, made it proxy war: Al-Assad

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The West has brought upon the world a third World War, waging it through the Nazis in Ukraine and the terrorists in Syria in the format of a proxy war; however, nuclear weapons prevent the confrontation from escalating into the traditional format of a world war, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad told Sputnik. Al-Assad had arrived in Russia on Wednesday.

"I believe that World War III is underway, but it differs in its form [...] What I mean is that world wars used to be conventional in the past. Armies of several states were fighting against each other," Al-Assad underlined.

"This is also true when it comes to the current situation, but because of modern weaponry, especially nuclear, it is different from conventional war. That is why wars are now moving toward proxy wars," the Syrian president added.

Using an "army of Nazis", Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensk is waging a war on behalf of the West, Al-Assad underlined, stressing that "the same goes for terrorists" and how they were the West's armies that it was puppeteering in Syria and other regions.

Touching on the referenda held in numerous regions regarding their accession to Russia, namely the Donetsk People's Republic, the Lugansk People's Republic, Zaparozhye, and Kherson, the Syrian leader underlined that Damascus fully recognized Russia's new borders.

"Of course. I am saying that these are Russian territories," he said about the four regions when asked about the matter. "And even if the war had not happened, this is historically Russian land."

Syria had recognized the regions before they officially became a part of Russia.

"This issue has been clear to us from the very beginning, and we will not hesitate in our position," the president said. "[The regions] were handed over to Ukraine probably around 100 years ago, I believe, [it happened] under Lenin. But Russian people live there, and facts on the ground show that this is Russia's land. We are convinced in this position."

US training terrorists at Al-Tanf military base

The Syrian leadership has evidence that the United States is training terrorists on the territory of the Al-Tanf military base, Al-Assad told Sputnik.

"We have direct encounters with terrorist groups near the Al-Tanf area, and of course, we know from these encounters and from detainees where they came from," he underlined.

"Al-Tanf represents an entire terrorist camp, and it has no other goal. What does the US get out of its presence in this area in the heart of the desert? No doubt that they have camps for terrorists that house tens of thousands with their families," the Syria leader said. 

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From time to time, the US sends these people "to carry out terrorist attacks against the Syrian army to disperse the units in different directions," the president said. "We are sure of this, the evidence is actually there."

Al-Tanf is a small outpost in southeastern Syria along the Baghdad-Damascus highway, and US troops have used the base for what it claims to be counterterrorism operations against ISIS and training anti-government Syrian fighters since at least 2016.

Terrorists to be redeployed to Ukraine

The United States may redeploy terrorists  from Syria to Ukraine in a bid to confront Russia, Al-Assad revealed.

"Regarding [the US sending terrorists from Syria to Ukraine], we have no evidence, but it is to be expected," the Syrian President said. "The US redeploys terrorists from one place to another, in addition to the fact that terrorists move on their own."

"The terrorists in Syria are what they call 'Islamic terrorists,' who hide behind religion. There is no religious war in Ukraine, but they [terrorists] are there, judging by the videos circulating on the internet," the leader underlined.

The fighters did not go to Ukraine for jihad, Al-Assad explained, it is certain that someone has deployed them [there] and undoubtedly this was done under the auspices of the United States and its agents from Western countries." 

This is a common issue taking place all the time, and it has nothing to do with Syria or Ukraine; "it has to do with the mechanism of action of America and Western countries in the matter of using terrorism as their agent in the wars they are waging," he said.

"Eventually, there are terrorists who are transferred from other regions, including from Syria, to fight against Russia in Ukraine," the Syrian president added.

Russian bases in Syria should be highly equipped

According to the Syrian leader, Russia's military bases in Syria should have the most advanced weapons to ensure the effective deterrence of threats.

"The difference is in the quality of weapons, but the principle is the same. Of course, if you are to build [military] bases, the goal is not to make these bases weak militarily," the Syrian President underlined. "The bases are supposed to be capable of having a deterrent or counterbalancing effect, these must be armed with the best weapons, it is natural and logical."

"Whether it would be hypersonic missiles or any other more advanced weapons now and in the future, the principle is, of course, the same as I said," Assad said when asked about the possible deployment of hypersonic missiles in Syria," he stressed.

Furthermore, he said Russia's military presence in Syria should not be temporary nor should it only be related to combatting terrorism.

"The fight against terrorism is today's topic, but it is temporary. The Russian military presence in any country should not be based on anything temporary," the president underscored. "We are talking about international balance, and the presence of Russia in Syria has a meaning related to the balance of power in the world as a country located on the Mediterranean Sea."

Al-Assad explained on a geopolitical basis that superpowers cannot defend themselves today by only staying within their own borders, "They must go beyond them through regional allies around the world or through bases."

Read more: Russia, Syria, Turkey Defense Ministers hold talks in Moscow

Syrian volunteers have nothing to do with Damascus

If volunteers were to take off from Syria to fight alongside the Russian Armed Forces in the Ukraine war, it would not be on behalf of the government, as the Syrian authorities would not know about it, Al-Assad noted.

"If volunteers were to go there, it would not be on behalf of the Syrian government - they would go directly to those Russian bodies that are dealing with this issue, and we would not know about it," the Syrian leader underlined.

Economic cooperation

Finally, Al-Assad revealed to Sputnik that Russia and Syria were bound to sign an agreement on economic cooperation, which would cover several projects set to be individually evaluated and approved in the coming weeks as part of the mechanism to monitor the projects and their success.

The president added that a joint Syrian-Russian commission has been discussing a number of projects during talks in Moscow over the past several days.

"Once the agreement is signed, these projects will be announced, after which all interested companies will be able to apply to participate in these projects," the president said, adding that the actual cost of the projects will be known at that time.

Read next: Talks between Al-Assad, Putin concluded following 3 hours meeting

On his first official visit outside the Middle East since last month's devastating earthquake, Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad arrived in Moscow on Tuesday.

This comes shortly after a Turkish diplomatic source revealed on Monday that a meeting that will involve Syria, Turkey, Russia, and Iran at the level of Deputy Foreign Ministers is set to be held on March 15 and 16 in Moscow.