The Kremlin considers Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity a priority for Moscow

Syrian president expresses support for Russia in its war against Ukraine

Putin during his reception with Assad in the Kremlin. A.B

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin, expressed Syria's support for Russia in its military operation in Ukraine, and its stand with Russia against what he called "Nazism", while the Kremlin stressed that Syria's territorial integrity and sovereignty is "a priority for Russia."

The meeting between Putin and Assad began in Moscow, as the Kremlin intensified its efforts to achieve reconciliation between Ankara and Damascus.

At the start of the meeting, which was broadcast on Russian television, Putin welcomed the "development" of relations between Moscow and Damascus, and stressed that Russia continues to provide humanitarian aid to Syria after the earthquake that struck it and Turkey last month.

Assad said: "I am very happy with this visit. The meetings between our officials are incessant, but the international changes over the past year require us to meet to develop common perceptions of this stage." He 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 the rescue of those injured by the earthquake."

The Syrian president pointed out that his visit will open a new phase of relations with Russia, and will achieve real results.

He noted that this is his first visit to Russia after the start of the "special military operation" in Ukraine. He reiterated Syria's support for Russia in its war against Nazism, which is supported by the West. He stressed the need to rebalance the world today, otherwise it will head to explosion and destruction.

"We are satisfied with the results of the work of the Syrian-Russian Joint Committee, and my current visit will pave the way for a new phase in relations between our two countries in all fields."

Assad told his Russian counterpart he expected tangible results in economic cooperation from his first known visit to Moscow since the war in Ukraine began.

Assad has been speaking with Putin, his strongest ally, in joint statements ahead of official talks in Moscow, on which Syrian officials are pinning hopes of attracting more Russian investment to help prop up the war-torn country.

For his part, President Putin stressed during the meeting that thanks to joint efforts, important results have been achieved in the fight against terrorism in Syria.

"This makes it possible to achieve social and economic stability and the internal political situation," Putin explained, noting that this contributes to the transition to the discussion of issues of political, trade, economic and humanitarian cooperation between Moscow and Damascus.

"I am happy to see you in Moscow, I thank you for accepting this invitation, we are in constant contact and are witnessing a great development in relations between our two countries," Putin said. "The Syrian people have unfortunately been exposed to the earthquake disaster that has exacerbated their suffering. As loyal friends, we are doing everything we can to alleviate this suffering."

"Thanks to our joint efforts and the decisive contribution of Russian forces in Syria, important results have been achieved in the fight against terrorism. This makes it possible to stabilize the internal social, economic and political situation."

The Russian president stressed that relations between the two countries are constantly developing, and the volume of trade exchange is increasing. The last time Putin and Assad met was in September 2021, when the Syrian president also visited Moscow.

In the same context, the spokesman for the Russian presidency, Dmitry Peskov, announced yesterday that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria is a priority for Russia. "First of all, Russian-Syrian relations are at the forefront (of the topics of discussion), cooperation in the context of the reconstruction of Syria after the war, the continuation of the Syrian settlement, as such, including all aspects, while emphasizing the absolute priority of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Peskov told reporters yesterday.

He added that during the meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad, "of course the issue of Syrian-Turkish relations will be addressed."