Vladimir Putin hosted Bashar al-Assad for two days this week in order to discuss switching military operations in Syria and searching for a political solution.
Speaking in Kremlin on Tuesday, Putin said he wanted to meet with the Syrian President before also meeting with the leaders of Turkey and Iran. He will follow his meetings with a phone call to Donald Trump.
This week, two separate summits will be held regarding Syria to increase pressure on ending the civil war.
Putin said to Assad: “I would like very much to discuss with you the main principles for organizing the political process, and the holding of a congress of the peoples of Syria, that is supported by you,”
“We still have a long way to go before we achieve a complete victory over terrorists. But as far as our joint work in fighting terrorism on the territory of Syria is concerned, this military operation is indeed wrapping up,”
“I think that now the most important thing, of course, is to move on the political questions, and I note with satisfaction your readiness to work with all those who want peace and a solution [to the conflict],” he added.
The Syrian President has been in Kremlin since Monday but news of the meeting was not released until Tuesday. Putin has been involved in trying to reach a peace deal within Syria.
The pair last met in October 2015, when they discussed Russia’s military intervention in Syria.
“At this stage, especially after we achieved victory over terrorists, it is in our interests to move forward with the political process. And we believe that the situation we now have on the ground and in the political sense permits us to expect progress in the political process,” Assad told Putin.
“We count on the support of Russia to ensure the non-interference of outside players in the political process.”