Presidents Al-Assad and Putin hold official talks in Moscow

President Putin, at the beginning of the talks, said “I am glad to see you in Moscow, and I thank you for accepting this invitation. We are witnessing great development in relations between our two countries.”

He added that the Syrian people were unfortunately exposed to the disaster of the earthquake, which exacerbated their suffering. “We, as loyal friends, are doing everything in our power to alleviate this suffering,” Putin said.

He indicated that the relations between Russia and Syria are constantly developing and the volume of trade exchange between them increased by 7% last year.

“Today’s meeting is an opportunity for discussing in details all issues of concern to Russia and Syria that will next year celebrate the 80th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations,” Putin pointed out.

For his part, President Al-Assad said: “I am very happy with this visit. The meetings between our countries’ officials do not stop, but the international changes during the past year require us to meet continuously to form a common vision for this stage.”

President Al-Assad added: “We thank Russia for the great assistance it provided to face the repercussions of the earthquake, especially the Ministry of Defense and the Russian army, which directly contributed to rescuing the citizens injured in the earthquake”.

He stressed that the Syrian people are grateful to the government and people of Russia for their stances that affirm commitment to respecting Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

 President Al-Assad went on to say “we are satisfied with the results of the work of the joint Syrian-Russian committee, and my visit today will pave the way for a new phase in the relations between the two countries in all fields”.

President Al-Assad pointed out that his current visit to Moscow is the first after the war in Ukraine, reiterating Syria’s support for Russia in its war against Nazism supported by the West.

President Al-Assad stressed that today, there is a need for restoring balance to the world, otherwise it will head towards explosion and destruction.

President Al-Assad, Russia’s Putin discuss different forms of cooperation, regional and international developments

The two leaders held an expanded meeting during which they discussed several political and economic issues, in addition to bilateral relations, different forms of cooperation and the latest regional and international developments.

On bilateral relations, the two presidents highlighted the strategic relations between the two countries which are based on joint values, interests and principles, stressing the need to enhance these relations to serve the interests of the peoples of the two countries in the light of the unprecedented changes taking place in the world.

Regarding the economic side, the two presidents discussed expanding economic and trade cooperation as well as the main files discussed during the meeting of the joint Syrian-Russian governmental committee, which was held today on the sidelines of the visit.

In the political field, the two leaders shed light on the developments the world is witnessing, stressing the need to continue building alliances and partnerships between the countries that have common principles and interest, given the fact that these alliances and partnerships constitute an effective power that serves the interest of the peoples of these countries.

The Russian military operation in Ukraine was also among the files discussed.

President al-Assad reiterated Syria’s position in favor of Russia’s right to defend its national security, while President Putin considered the Russian military operation to as a battle of existence, because the West has been trying to destabilize Russia’s political and economic stability, but Russia was able to cope with this situation and even achieve economic growth despite the war.

The presidential talks also dealt with regional initiatives supported by Moscow. President Al-Assad emphasized that Syria has always been with dialogue if it serves to the Syrian people’s interests and the unity and integrity of Syrian territory and if it has clear and specific results, notably the continued fight against terrorism and the withdrawal of the illegal foreign forces on its territory.

The two leaders stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the United Nations and in all other international forums. President Al-Assad affirmed that Syria values Russia’s standing in the face of the attempts to put pressure on Damascus through what the West calls Syria’s chemical weapons file.

Regionally, the presidents welcomed Saudi Arabia and Iran’s announcement to resume their diplomatic relations, as a step that reflects positively on the region and the world.