During the meeting, the Russian president congratulated his Syrian counterpart for his victory in the presidential elections in May and highlighted the Government’s efforts to begin talks with the political opposition and its political opponents.

Al-Assad said that the negotiations have been at a standstill for three years because ‘there are certain States that, as much as they can, destructively affect the possibility of carrying out political processes.’

During the conversation, the Russian head of State also recalled that thanks to the joint efforts, most of Syria was liberated, the terrorist forces suffered significant damages and Damascus authorities control 90 percent of its territory.

Putin said that at the moment, the main problem in the Arab nation is the presence of foreign armed forces that remain in certain regions without the Syrian Government’s consent and without the approval of the United Nations.

However, he stressed that many refugees are returning to the liberated regions to rebuild their homes and return to a peaceful life. In this regard, he highlighted that the bilateral economic and commercial ties are strengthening.

The Russian president said that beyond the humanitarian aid Moscow provides to that nation, the volume of trade exchange between the two countries grew by 3.5 percent in the first half of 2021 and the projects to support Syria in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic are stepping up.

pgh/iff/npg/mml