Assad in Moscow to meet Putin and discuss Syrian-Turkish relations
Russian President Vladimir Putin is hosting Syrian Bashar al-Assad for talks as the Kremlin ramps up efforts to achieve reconciliation between Ankara and Damascus.
Helping to repair ties between Turkey and Syria would give the Kremlin a chance to boost its diplomatic clout amid Moscow's growing isolation in the West after the military operation in Ukraine.
The meeting follows a surprise announcement last week of the resumption of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the meeting between the Russian president and Assad, who arrived in Moscow on Tuesday evening, would begin around 12:00 GMT.
Peskov said that "Syrian-Russian bilateral relations will take priority" during the talks, adding, "Turkish-Syrian relations will certainly be touched upon in one way or another."
The outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011 led to a deterioration in relations between Damascus and Ankara.
Turkey severed diplomatic ties with Syria shortly after the war broke out.
But analysts have suggested Moscow is seeking to bridge the gap between the two countries.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently suggested a meeting with Assad could be held to discuss reviving ties.
The defence ministers of the two countries met in Moscow in late December as part of talks unprecedented since the outbreak of the Syrian war.
Assad last visited Moscow in September 2021, where he also met Putin.
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