Bashar al-Assad came to resolve issues of post-war settlement and reconstruction of the country

Bashar al-Assad’s working visit to Moscow on March 15 was the first since the start of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine. The previous Russian-Syrian summit was held in September 2021. In his opening speech before the talks, Vladimir Putin announced significant results in the joint fight against international terrorism in Syria, which “makes it possible to stabilize the socio-economic and domestic political situation.” The President of Russia acknowledged that the earthquake that occurred in early February in the northern provinces of the country “of course, exacerbates the situation.” He noted the assistance of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Ministry of Defense of Russia in rescuing victims of natural disasters.

Assad thanked the Russian president for his help and criticized the position of Western countries on the conflict in Ukraine. He assured that Damascus continues to support the Russian special operation. “Our position does not come only from the friendship and devotion that exists between us, our position comes from the fact that the world really needs stabilization now, otherwise it will come closer to a big collapse,” the Syrian president said.