MOSCOW, September 18 (RIA Novosti) – Discussions on the fight against the threats posed by the Islamic State (IS) militants, which was on the agenda for the recent international conference in Paris, should continue at the UN Security Council, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister said Thursday.
"We hope that the UN Security Council will discuss this issue. We believe that the problem is wider than simply Iraq and Syria. And the minister [Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov] explained everything clearly during his speech at the opening of the conference," Mikhail Bogdanov told journalists.
"We assume that the recent conference paved the way for global understanding of what is really going on and what we are to do," Bogdanov stressed.
According to Bogdanov, one of the reasons for the spread of terrorism in Iraq is the dissolution of the country"s army. The minister said this mistake should not be repeated in Syria.
"The army was dissolved and scattered around taking weapons. Later a certain part joined terrorist groups. This was a huge mistake. And this mistake by no means must be repeated in Syria. Government institutions such as an army should run despite any changes in the country"s leadership," Mikhail Bogdanov told journalists.
The Iraqi army was disbanded in 2003 after its defeat in the Second Gulf War.
Iraq and Syria are in conflict with the the IS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) or Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The IS has been fighting the Syrian government since 2012 and in June 2014 launched an offensive in Iraq and seized vast areas in both countries, proclaiming an Islamic caliphate on the territories under its control.
On September 15, France held an international conference, urgently initiated by French President Francois Hollande in connection with a dangerous intensification of the Sunni extremist group. Foreign ministers of more than 20 countries discussed common steps to combat the IS and terrorism in general in Paris. Russia was represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
