Russian President Vladimir Putin on Oct. 25 met in the Kremlin with eight top Russian religious leaders, representing Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist faiths. He used the occasion to denounce what he described as an intentional “clash of civilizations” policy in Southwest Asia, which “poses a risk of severe and highly dangerous and destructive consequences not just for the Middle Eastern region. It can spill far beyond the borders of the Middle East.”
Putin sharply criticized the terrorist acts carried out against Israelis on Oct. 7, but insisted that “innocent people should not be held accountable for crimes committed by others. The fight against terrorism cannot be conducted on the notorious principle of collective responsibility.” Brief excerpts from his remarks, as reported on the Kremlin site follow:
“We see attempts made by certain forces to incite further escalation through dragging other countries and nations into the conflict and using them for their own selfish interests, to launch a wave of chaos and mutual hatred not only in the Middle East but far beyond.… In my view, these actions are clearly designed to sow instability around the world, to divide cultures, peoples and world religions, and to provoke a clash of civilizations. All is based on the well-known principle of divide and conquer.… They want the Middle East conflict, as well as any other religious or ethnic conflict in the world to be directly or indirectly tied up with Russia in one way or another or, to be more exact, to deliver a blow to Russia and Russian society….
“I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the families of Israelis and citizens of other countries whose loved ones died or were wounded during the Oct. 7 attack. But it is likewise clear to us that innocent people should not be held accountable for crimes committed by others. The fight against terrorism cannot be conducted on the notorious principle of collective responsibility resulting in the deaths of elderly people, women, children, entire families. Hundreds of thousands of people are left without shelter, food, water, electricity and medical assistance. This is a genuine humanitarian disaster….
“Our primary goal is to stop bloodshed and violence. Further escalation of the crisis poses a risk of severe and highly dangerous and destructive consequences not just for the Middle Eastern region. It can spill far beyond the borders of the Middle East.”
