President Putin meets President Assad in Sochi

At a meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the basic principles of the political process to resolve the situation in Syria, the Kremlin website said.

"On November 20, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin held talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad, who is on a working visit to Russia," the statement said.

Photo: Sputnik

The meeting was also attended by the leadership of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

During the meeting, the leaders discussed the basic principles of organizing the political process to resolve the situation in Syria.

The Russian leader congratulated Mr. Assad on the successful fight against terrorism. According to him, the Syrian people are going through a very difficult test and are approaching the moment of defeating the militants.

"I hope that in the near future we will put an end to the fight against terrorism in Syria, although it is clear that there will still be remnants, terrorism will still appear. So there will still be problems caused by terrorism in the world, including in the Middle East and Syria. But the main task is almost completed, and in the near future we can say that we have solved it," Putin said.

According to the Syrian President, the past two years have been successful, thanks to the support of the Russian air force and government forces, the Syrian people were able to return to their homes. He noted that thanks to Russia, Syria was saved as a state. The Syrian President also conveyed to Mr. Putin the gratitude of the Syrian people.

On November 20, Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad, who is visiting and working in Russia.Photo: Sputnik

At the meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin also said he would have a phone call with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday.

"On the basis of this meeting, it is planned to hold consultations with all the mentioned heads of state. Today (Monday) I will talk with the leadership of Qatar, tomorrow (Tuesday) with US President Donald Trump, then - with the leaders of the countries of the region," - Mr. Putin said.

On November 20, Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad, who is visiting and working in Russia. Photo: Sputnik

According to Sputnik