28 Mar 2024
Wednesday 8 February 2017 - 23:00
Story Code : 250353

Tide of Syria conflict turning in favor of Damascus, Moscow: Assad

Press TV- Syrian President Bashar al-Assadsays the tide of events in the Arab country is changingin favor of Damascus andMoscow, which are both engaged in a battle against foreign-backed terrorists.
"Events are moving quickly inthe direction which we and you desire,"Assad said in a meeting with Russian lawmakers in Damascus on Wednesday.
He further appreciated Russias military support for Damascus in its anti-terror fight and the sacrifices made by the Russian forces in the Syrian territory.

Of course, military support is very important. But even one drop ofblood of the Russian soldiers who died inour country is more important forus thanany military support, President Assad said.

Moscow launched its campaign against Daesh and other terror outfits in Syria at Damascus request in September 2015. The air cover has helped Syrian forces conduct successful counterterrorism operations.



[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="555"] In this photo made from the footage taken from Russias Defense Ministry website on November 15, 2016, a Russian Su-33 fighter jet stands on the flight deck of the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. (Photo by AP)[/caption]

Syrian army troops and allied fighters have recently madesweepinggains against Takfiri elements, who have been wreaking havoc in the Middle Eastern statesince 2011.

Following Wednesdays meeting, Dmitry Sablin, a member of the defense committee of Russia's State Duma, the lower house of the country's parliament, said the Syrian leader had expressed Damascus readiness to hold direct talks with representatives of all opposition groups, including the armed ones.

'Astana talks more conducive to peace'

Meanwhile, referring to last month's Syrian peace talks in the Kazakh capitalAstana,Russian lawmaker Sergey Gavrilov noted thatPresident Assad had expressed optimism that the negotiations inthe Astana format would be more effective thanthe planned Geneva format.
"He (Assad) believes that the resumption oftalks inAstana will be more productive not only forthe expansion ofthe local truce, butalso formechanisms ofdisarmament and political reconciliation throughhumanitarian mechanisms thanthe current Geneva format," he said.
The Kazakh capitalhosted two days of talks between Damascus and opposition groups, with Iran, Russia and Turkey attending the event as mediators. The trio agreed on the establishment of a mechanism to support theSyria-wide truce that has been in place since December 30.

Syrias warring sides are expected to resume their discussions in the Swiss city of Geneva on February 20.
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