Putin meets with President Bashar al-Assad in Kremlin

MOSCOW, Sept. 14 (YPA) – Russian President Vladimir Putin received his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad in the Kremlin for an unannounced visit.

“I am happy to welcome you back to Moscow,” Putin said at the beginning of the meeting. Above all, I would like to congratulate you on your birthday, which was a few days ago.”

The Russian president also talked about the results of the presidential elections in Syria, congratulating the Syrian president on the good results, telling him: “These results confirm the confidence of Syrians in you and despite all the difficulties and tragedies of previous years; they are counting on you to return to normal life.”

The Russian president noted that Assad is doing much to establish a dialogue with political opponents.

Putin noted that the unification of the state is hampered by the illegal presence of foreign forces in Syria.

He continued: “In my opinion, the main problem lies in the presence of foreign forces in certain areas of the country without a UN resolution, without your permission, which is contrary to international law. It does not give you the opportunity to do the utmost to the unify the country and move forward on the path of reconstruction at a pace that could have been achieved if the entire territory of the country was under the control of the legitimate government.”

During the meeting, they discussed the file of the standing bilateral cooperation between the two countries and the measures taken to expand and develop it to achieve the common interests.

E.M