Putin discusses Middle East escalation with Syria’s Assad

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned Syrian President Bashar Assad of an escalation in the Middle East during their meeting in Moscow
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The Russian president shared his concerns with his counterpart during a meeting in Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Bashar Assad of his concern over growing tensions in the Middle East at a meeting in the Kremlin late Wednesday, the Russian presidential press service has said.

Assad’s visit to Russia comes amid reports that Moscow could mediate to defuse tensions between Türkiye and Syria. Relations between Damascus and Ankara have been bad for nearly 12 years.

During the two leaders' first meeting since March last year, Putin told the Syrian president of his concern with the “tendency towards escalation” in the Middle East.

“This also applies directly to Syria,” Putin said.

The Russian leader told his counterpart that “there are also a lot of issues” to discuss regarding trade and economic cooperation.

Assad responded by saying that while Russia and Syria “have gone through very difficult tests,” over the past decades, relations between the two countries have maintained a “level of trust.”

“Considering all the events that are taking place in the world as a whole and in the Eurasian region today, our meeting today seems very important to discuss all the details of the development of these events, to discuss possible prospects and scenarios,” Assad told Putin.

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Reconciliation between the two countries is important, both for a political settlement of the Syrian conflict and for stability in the entire Middle Eastern region, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said earlier this week.

Commenting on reports that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could meet with Assad in Moscow next month, Peskov said that efforts to establish contacts between Turkish and Syrian representatives “at various levels” are on Moscow’s agenda.

“Many countries and, of course, Russia, as a country playing a significant role in the region, are interested in helping the two countries improve relations,” he told reporters on Tuesday, adding that both sides resuming dialogue is “very important for the entire region.”