Speaking in the Russian capital of Moscow on Monday, Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said he received the pledge of support for Syrian President Bashar Assad during a surprise meeting with his Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
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Also on Monday, the Syrian foreign minister met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and discussed the recent developments in the Arab country.
Russian Federation is widely seen as the key to a peaceful solution in Syria and has been a long-time supporter of Assad.
But we are confident that the Syrian people will ultimately be victorious and we remain committed to our policy of supporting Syria, its government and its people.
Since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the Syrian army has been fighting multiple proxy wars against the Islamic State group, the US and its Middle Eastern allies, and other rebel factions looking to overthrow the regime.
Hassakeh, which had a prewar population of 300,000, is important for all sides in the conflict as it sits between ISIS-held territory in Syria and in Iraq.
Mr Putin said that Moscow’s contacts with other countries in the region, including with Turkey and Saudi Arabia, “show that
everyone wants to contribute to fight this evil.”
State television said the army had “cleansed” the southern Hasaka district of Nashwa of ISIL fighters, who hold large tracts of Syria’s east but mainly the more thinly populated countryside.
A Syrian army source said ISIS suicide bombers blew up two trucks in the southeastern district of Ghwyran and a fire erupted at petroleum storage tanks and a textile firm following shelling by the militants. The Syrian army source didn’t disclose details on casualties but said a number of “martyrs fell”.
Islamic State confirmed the suicide bombings they said targeted army checkpoints in the Ghwyran city and in a statement claimed they had advanced to new positions in the city in the Aziziya district.
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Syria’s top diplomat praised Russia’s contribution to promoting cooperation in the Middle East, but added that, “to create a coalition you mentioned, an efficient coalition of neighbor countries, we need even more effort”.
