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Syrian President Bashar Assad visited Moscow on Tuesday evening for talks regarding the Russian aerial operation to support the Syrian army offensive.
Russian
President Vladimir Putin and Syrian President Bashar Assad met
in Moscow on Tuesday evening to discuss questions regarding the Russian
air force and Syrian army operation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov
said on Wednesday.
Russia launched its aerial operation against terrorist group targets
in Syria on September 30. Since then, the Syrian military has launched a
series of offensives against the groups across the country. At the
talks, Assad said that any military action also presumes further
political measures to resolve the Syrian crisis.
Putin
also thanked Syria's people for their contribution to the fight
against terror. He noted that Russia is worried because at least 4,000
fighters from the former Soviet Union are fighting alongside terrorist
groups in Syria.
"The Syrian people have resisted and fought international terrorism
practically alone for several years now, suffering heavy losses,
but recently also achieving serious, positive results in this fight,"
Putin said.
Assad also said that terrorism has become an obstacle to the Syrian crisis' political solution. He added that the entire Syrian people seek to decide the country's fate, and not only the country's leadership.
The talks were held in both a limited and an expanded format, also touching on topics including bilateral relations and prospective plans for economic reconstruction.
"Naturally, the questions [were about] the fight against terrorist
extremist groups, questions regarding the continuation of the supporting
offensives of the Syrian armed forces," Peskov said.
According to Putin’s spokesman, members of Russia’s upper leadership took part in the expanded format of the talks and "the talks were quite long and the topic of negotiations was completely clear."
"We are ready to do what we can, not only [with
respect to] military action to fight terrorism in Syria, but also
via the political process," Putin said in a transcript published on the
Kremlin website.
Assad thanked the Russian leadership for its aid to Syria, saying that it stands for Syria's unity and independence.
"The terrorism which now spreads through the
region would have taken much greater areas and spread to an even greater
territory if it was not for your actions and your decisions," Assad
said.
Assad also said that terrorism has become an obstacle to the Syrian crisis' political solution. He added that the entire Syrian people seek to decide the country's fate, and not only the country's leadership.
The talks were held in both a limited and an expanded format, also touching on topics including bilateral relations and prospective plans for economic reconstruction.
According to Putin’s spokesman, members of Russia’s upper leadership took part in the expanded format of the talks and "the talks were quite long and the topic of negotiations was completely clear."