Moscow, SANA – The Head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian Upper House of Parliament Konstantin Kosachev said the U.S. decision to shut down the US Central Intelligence Agency’s program to equip and train “moderate opposition” in Syria opens new opportunities for Russian-US cooperation in the war on terrorism in the country.

“Certainly, this is the long-awaited and excellent news. No doubt, such a turn creates new opportunities for Russian-US cooperation in anti-terror in that country,” Kosachev wrote on his Facebook page on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the Washington Post wrote citing US officials that the US President Donald Trump decided to shut down the CIA’s covert program to arm and train the so-called “moderate opposition” in Syria fighting against the Syrian army.

In turn, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian and US presidents did not discuss the US’ arming and training of “Syrian opposition” at their meeting on the G20 sidelines in Hamburg.

M. al-Frieh/H. Said