On November 20, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi, the Kremlin press service said in a statement.
Putin also introduced Assad to the senior officials of the Russian Defense Ministry and the General Staff, who are currently in Sochi for a series of meetings on defense issues.
The two leaders agree that military operation in Syria is coming to an end. The Russian and Syrian presidents also emphasized the need to launch political processes in the country.
“I believe that the problem of terrorism is universal, a lot should be done to achieve a complete victory over terrorism, but as far as our cooperation in the fight against terrorists in Syria goes, the military operation is really coming to an end,” Putin said. “I think, now the main thing is to move to political processes, and I am pleased to see your readiness to work with everyone willing to establish peace and find solutions,” he added.
“Over this time, huge success has been achieved both on the battlefield an on the political level. Many areas in Syria have been liberated from terrorists, and civilians who were forced to leave those areas have been able to return,” Assad pointed out.
“We must admit that the operation made it possible to advance the process of political settlement in Syria,” he added.
Putin and Assad discussed the major principles of the political process in Syria and preparations for a congress of the Syrian people.
