The Syrian president voiced his concerns about the “escalation” of conflicts across the Middle East. Putin has long provided military support to Assad.
Russian TV on Thursday published a video of Syrian President Bashar Assad meeting his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putinat the Kremlin.
The clip offered few details of their discussions.
What do we know about the meeting?
The video released by the Kremlin showed Putin appearing to ask Assad for his opinion about the conflicts across the Middle East.
“Unfortunately, there is a tendency toward escalation, we can see that. This also applies directly to Syria,” Putin was quoted as saying.
Assad said that both countries have faced “difficult challenges” and managed to overcome them, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported.
“Considering all the events that are taking place in the world as a whole and in the Eurasian region today, our meeting today seems very important,” Assad told Putin via a Russian translator.
Possible restoration of Syria-Turkey ties
The Kremlin said the meeting between the two leaders took place on Wednesday. Though it did not provide details on the talks, one potential point of discussion could be the restoration of ties between Damascus and Ankara.
Assad and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have hinted at readiness to restore relations between their two countries, severed since 2011, when Erdogan initially backed rebel forces fighting Assad.
Recently, Erdogan said: “Now we have come to such a point that as soon as Bashar al-Assad takes a step towards improving relations with Turkey, we will show him the same approach,” Erdogan said.
The Turkish president has made it clear that returning refugees to Syria is one of his top priorities.
Putin and Assad have long been allies, and the Kremlin has previously taken credit for helping stabilize Syria during its 12-year uprising-turned-civil-war. Russian fighters helped Assad’s forces recapture large areas of territory, and the Russian military still maintains bases in Syria.
The pair last met in person in March 2023, also in Moscow.
