BALADI NEWS
Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a surprise visit to Damascus where he met Bashar al-Assad amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, especially after the American assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad.
This is the first surprise visit Putin has made to Russian troops since December 2017, when he visited an airbase in the western province of Latakia.
Both officials met at the Russian troops’ headquarters in the Syrian capital, according to the "Syrian presidency" and SANA news agency.
The pair watched a military demonstration by the Russian troops deployed in the country, the presidency said on Tuesday, reported Efe news.
Putin sent Orthodox Christmas wishes to the Russian troops stationed in Syria, according to the source.
Russian troops have been deployed in Syria since September 2015, supporting the Assad regime forces in their fight against Syrian rebels as well as Syrian civilians, where they have committed dozens of massacres and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.
Al-Assad, for his part, said he appreciated the role of the Russian troops in the Arab country and “the Syrian people for the sacrifices they have done,” alongside the "army".
During the meeting, they discussed recent developments in the region and plans to eradicate terrorism in Idlib, according to the source.
The Syrian regime forces, with Russian support, have launched an offensive in the northwestern province of Idlib, the last opposition stronghold, where they destroyed dozens of countries and villages and displaced more than 300,000 civilians to the Turkish border.
Putin and Assad also addressed the situation in northern Syria, where Turkey launched an offensive to establish a safe zone.
Putin is scheduled to head next to Istanbul, where he will meet on Wednesday his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.