Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem says Damascus might ask for the deployment of Russian military forces if the situation gets worse.
“There is no joint fighting on the ground with Russian troops, but if we felt such a need, we would study it and demand,” al-Muallem told state-run Syrian television network on Thursday.
According to the official, the Syrian army is able to fight against the rebels on its own, but it needs ‘more ammunition and qualitative weapons’.
On Thursday, the Russian side said that the country’s cooperation with Syria is aimed at counter-terrorism, protecting sovereignty and averting a ‘total catastrophe’ in the region.
“There is no ban on cooperation with any country except Israel, because it is a true enemy. We are open to cooperation with any state that really wants to fight against terrorism and that will come to us and ask: What do you need? What will the coordination look like? And what can we do for you?” al-Moallem added.
