Russian President Vladimir Putin has assured Syria, Iraq and the other countries in the Gulf region of support in their fight against terrorism, media reported .

“The situation in Syria still raises serious concerns,” said Putin in an interview with the Turkish al-Anadolu news agency, which was cited by Syria’s official Sana news agency.

He pointed out that the major threat in Syria and neighbouring countries was from the Islamic State (IS) and the other extremist organisations, which some Western countries have emboldened through their actions.

The Russian president stressed that the efforts to fight this terror threat should be based on the UN Security Council’s (UNSC) resolutions and strictly compliant with international law, particularly the principles of sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of states.

These efforts must be carried out transparently and without any “covert” agenda, Putin added.

He also reiterated Russia’s stance calling for finding a political solution to the crisis in Syria by the Syrians themselves and through an inter-Syrian national dialogue without preconditions.