If a change of power in Syria is staged, the whole region will be virtually left on the edge of an abyss, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Unlike Russia, the West, primarily the United States and its European allies, do not see President Bashar Assad as the country's legitimate leader, and support the Syrian opposition which aims to oust the president.

Meanwhile, Russia has been assisting both the government and civilians of the war-torn country.

"If the next operation on the violent change of power in the Middle Eastern country is carried out, it will be disastrous not only for Syria, but will also become the most dangerous element in the destructive chain of events occurring in the region. The region may simply not endure one more black hole," Zakharova told Russia’s Komsomolskaya Pravda daily in an interview on Tuesday.

According to her, the region might not just turn into a set of "lurid" states, but "explode" simultaneously as a whole.

"And what happens next? That’s exactly what the Islamic State needs. Another area of chaos suits it over the odds. Therefore, we say that the most important task is to save the Syrian power structure," Zakharova stressed.

Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with government forces countering the so-called moderate rebels and several extremist groups, including the Islamic State and the Nusra Front.

By Sputnik News