Russia's deputy foreign minister has called on the United States and Europe to take "serious" steps to combat terrorism, warning that several Middle Eastern countries are threatened.
"Russia will not stand idle toward attempts by terrorist groups to spread terrorism in regional states," Sergei Ryabkov told reporters today during a visit to Damascus, apparently referring to the rapid advance of the extremist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant across eastern Syria and northern Iraq.
He praised Damascus' "responsible" decision to give up its chemical weapons, saying that doing so has boosted Syria's security.
On Monday, Syria finished handing over to Western powers 1,300 tons of chemical weapons it acknowledged possessing, completing a deal reached last fall under threat of US airstrikes.
