Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad received Thursday a joint delegation from Russia and the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) headed by the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Defense, Dmitry Sablin, and DPR Foreign Minister, Natalia Nikonorova, SANA reported.

The joint delegation briefed Al-Assad on the situation in the Donbass region and the efforts exerted to return people to their cities after the situation in many areas has stabilized and reconstruction has begun. 

According to the news agency, the delegation members expressed their will to strengthen relations with Damascus in all fields, and the DPR Foreign Minister conveyed to the Syrian President a message from Donetsk President Denis Pushilin regarding this matter.

The delegation members also stressed the importance of establishing economic cooperation with Damascus, underlining that what DPR people encounter and fight for is similar to the Syrian people's case.

Al-Assad: Main battle is against West's hegemonic policies

On his part, Al-Assad welcomed Pushilin’s message and expressed Damascus' readiness to raise relations with the DPR to a political level.

The Syrian President congratulated the delegation on liberating the greatest part of the Donbass region, considering that Russia and Syria are fighting one battle against one enemy, adding that the United States is backing terrorists and neo-Nazis.

Al-Assad explained that the main battle is against the West's hegemonic policies, stressing that countries that defend their sovereignty must build strong relationships among themselves to enhance their positions and achieve the interests of their peoples.

In the same context, TASS cited Sablin as saying that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad is planning to instruct Syria's Foreign Ministry to begin the official procedure to recognize the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR).