President Al-Assad and President Putin discuss during a summit developing bilateral cooperation and combating terrorism

Moscow, (ST) – A Syrian-Russian summit was held in Moscow between Presidents Bashar Al-Assad and Vladimir Putin, during which they discussed bilateral cooperation between the two countries and the measures taken to develop them to achieve common interests.

 The summit began with a bilateral meeting between the two presidents, later joined by Foreign Minister Dr. Faisal Miqdad and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

 During the summit, the joint cooperation between the armies of the two countries in  ombating terrorism and completing the liberation of lands that are still under the control of terrorist organizations were discussed.

They also discussed the steps taken on the political track.The two sides stressed the importance of completing efforts in this track in order to reach consensus in points of views among the Syrians without any external interference.

The discussions also dealt with the economic cooperation between the two countries.

Presidents Al-Assad and President Putin discussed the latest developments on the regional and international arenas.

At the beginning of the bilateral summit, President Al-Assad said: “I am happy that we meet today in Moscow .The joint operation to combat terrorism is now in its sixth year, during which the Syrian and Russian armies have achieved great achievements, not only by liberating the lands or by returning refugees to their cities and villages, but also by protecting many innocent citizens in this world because terrorism knows no political borders to stop at.”

President Al-Assad added that “of course, in addition to the important results in the liberation of lands and the retreat of terrorists, the political process  has been  launched, whether in Sochi, Astana, or Geneva recently. This process has been going on for nearly two years now, but as you know, there are obstacles because there are countries that support terrorists. These countries have no interest in this political process continuing in the direction that achieves stability in Syria.

 President Al- Assad continued by saying that, “some countries have imposed a siege on the Syrian people. A siege that we describe as inhumane, immoral and illegal .However we are determined in Syria as a government and state institutions to go hand in hand in the process of liberation of land and the process of political dialogue.”

President Al-Assad said: “I want to take advantage of this meeting in order to thank the Russian state and the Russian people for the humanitarian aid provided to the Syrian people, whether with regard to the Corona pandemic recently or with regard to securing all the basic necessities that the Syrian citizen requires in his daily life.

He added that,” I would like to thank you and the Russian political establishment, especially the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for the efforts they made in international forums to defend international law which initially stipulates the sovereignty of states and the right of peoples to determine their future and destiny.

In turn, President Putin said: I am very happy to welcome you to Moscow again and congratulate you on the very good result of the presidential elections. These results indicate that people trust you despite all the difficulties and tragedies of previous years and they associate with you the process of reconstruction and the return to normal life.

Putin added: I know that you are doing a lot for this process of reconstruction as well as holding a dialogue with the opposition, and I hope this process will go forward.

President Putin said: With our joint efforts, most of the Syrian lands were liberated after the terrorists inflicted very heavy losses, and the Syrian government now controls 90 percent of the lands.

Putin stressed that the main issue is that, foreign armed forces are present on Syrian territories without the approval of the United Nations and without Syrian state’s permission, and this clearly contradicts international law.

“Unfortunately there are still outposts for terrorists who not only control an area, but also continue to terrorize the civilian population”, Putin added.

Putin continued by saying that, despite above problems, the refugees are actively returning to the liberated areas.

 “When I visited your country, at your invitation, I saw how people are actively reconstructing their homes and actively working to return to normal life”, he added

Putin said: I am not talking now about just humanitarian assistance by Russia to the Syrian people, but also about the development of economic and trade relations, as the volume of trade exchange increased during the first half of the year three and a half times.

President Putin concluded by saying :“ we are working together to solve the main issue facing all mankind. Currently the fight against the Corona pandemic is continuing, as the first vaccination of the (Sputnik V) and (Sputnik Lite) arrived in Syria. I hope by joint efforts, the Syrian people will rise above their situation in the fields of economy, everyday life and foremost health.  

Raghda Sawas