Given the references in the recent article by David Wroe and James Massola to my conversations with colleagues in the diplomatic corps, I would like to provide a clearer view of our position in relation to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and give a broader perspective on the Syrian crisis.

For a long time, we have been hearing from our Western partners that removal of Assad from power is the core element of the solution to the Syrian crisis and his fall is imminent. As we can see, these expectations were misplaced. All the forecasts that the people would rise up and oust him never came true. This means one thing: Assad represents the interests of a significant part of Syrian society. So no peaceful solution can be found without his participation.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must be part of the solution to defeating Islamic State. Credit:AP

As we see, senior officials around the world are coming to realise, step by step, the truth of Russia's position on the issue. The real focus of joint international efforts must be eradicating Islamic State, and should take precedence over all other issues. This is absolutely the No 1 goal, which is to be tackled with by commitment from the international community without any preconditions or political strings attached. The role of the Syrian government forces in defeating IS is also essential, as the Syrian Army carries the major burden of fight against IS on the ground.