Syria state media praise Putin’s UN speech

Syria’s state media praises Vladimir Putin’s speech before the UN General Assembly in which the Russian leader defended Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Syrian newspapers say the speech drew “clear outlines” for what is needed to “fight terrorism” on a global level.

In his address Monday in New York, Putin urged the world to stick with Assad, saying it was a “huge mistake” not to engage the Syrian military in the fight against the Islamic State group.

The Al-Baath daily of Assad’s ruling Baath party says the essence of the Russian plan for combating terrorism is “simple and clear.” Al-Baath adds that “the Russian step is pivotal in the history of the region and the world to prevent the expansion of devastation.”

The daily Al-Thawra says Putin entered the United Nations “from the Syrian gate,” adding that “the Russian surgeon came to fix flabbiness in the international legitimacy.”

Al-Thawra says Putin struck in his speech at “American charlatanism about fighting terrorism.”

— AP