Russia will support all countries that request assistance in the fight against ISIS.

Russia does not plan to send troops to Syria to fight ISIS; however, such assistance may well be provided by Russia to any other state if it requests it. This was stated by the head of the Russian diplomatic mission in the Kyrgyz Republic at a conference held at the International Press Center News-Asia , where he outlined the main vectors of Russian foreign and domestic policy, Russia's position on Syria, and answered pressing questions from the media.

First and foremost, the countries close to the theater of military operations and the entire Central Asian region, including part of China, are under threat. This is not least due to the weak Turkmen-Afghan border.

- Where will the terrorists retreat to if they are driven out of Syria? Primarily to Jordan and Iraq. At the same time, I would like to quote the head of the GRU of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Igor Sergun, who stated that, according to our assessment, some ISIS members are migrating deeper into Afghanistan, and there are currently about 2-3 thousand militants there. Their numbers are growing, and in the near future, ISIS leadership will attempt to expand its area of influence northward, that is, into Central Asia and further east into China – into the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. In this regard, it is necessary to conduct coordinated work among all states in the region to prevent the spread of terrorist organizations' influence on these states, – emphasized Andrey Andreevich. - The recent escape of nine extremists from SIZO-50 indicates that there is a real danger of this. Fortunately, five of them were apprehended almost on the spot, and we are eagerly awaiting the neutralization of the others.

When asked whether the Russian Federation is ready to assist in the fight against ISIS in other countries if they suddenly find themselves captured by militants, the head of the diplomatic mission answered affirmatively. This includes even those countries with which Russia has complicated geopolitical relations: Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan.

- According to international law, there are two instruments that allow for such actions: a UN Security Council resolution and a request from any sovereign government for assistance. In this case, we are acting at the request of the legitimate government of Syria; as for the Security Council resolution – it is the optimal solution, reflecting not only the consensus of the great powers but also the entire international community in conducting coordinated military actions. Therefore, if the government of, for example, Iraq approaches us – we will be ready to consider this issue positively, - assured Krutko. - As for me - I do not think that the government of Afghanistan would approach us under the current conditions, but if we witness an escalation of the situation there, I do not rule out the possibility of an appeal.