Putin said that here is a risk that the de-escalation zones will divide Syria, but they hope to avoid that.

:: Russian President Vladimir Putin called for an all Syrian conference to be held that includes representatives of all ethnic groups.

Speaking at the Valdai forum in Sochi, Putin stressed that Moscow and Washington are cooperating in a stable manner on Syria.

“The peace process in Syria is developing positively, although there are still problems,” he said. “We have every reason to believe that we will defeat the terrorists in Syria soon.”

“We are concerned about the slow pace of progress in negotiations between the Syrian opposition and the government,” he added.

“There is a risk that the de-escalation zones will divide Syria, but I hope to avoid that,” he said.