Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met on Monday with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu in Syria's capital Damascus, where the two sides' discussions focused on strengthening bilateral relations and addressing international and regional security issues, according to the Syrian Presidential Office.

During the talks, al-Assad and Shoigu "discussed matters related to international and regional security" and expressed a mutual desire to enhance Syrian-Russian ties, "which meets the interests of the two friendly states."

It is noteworthy that Shoigu's last visit to Damascus was as Russia’s Defense Minister in February 2022.

Moscow, Cairo stress importance of coordination to resolve Syrian crisis

In a related development, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelaatti, emphasized on Monday the importance of ongoing cooperation and coordination between Russia and Arab countries to resolve the Syrian crisis while preserving its unity and sovereignty and combating terrorism.

During a joint press conference with Abdelatti in Moscow, Lavrov highlighted Cairo’s constructive role in the decision to restore Syria’s membership in the Arab League.

"We hope Syria’s normal relations would be restored with its Arab surroundings because this will not only serve the interests of addressing the repercussions of the long crisis there but will also constitute great opportunities to consolidate security and stability in the entire Middle East," the top Russian diplomat indicated.

On his part, the Egyptian Foreign Minister Abdelaatti said that both sides agreed on the importance of "continuing cooperation and joint coordination between our two countries and between Russia and the Arab countries, especially in light of the important role that Moscow is playing in this file and working to end the crisis that has been ongoing in Syria for years in a way that preserves its unity and sovereignty and enables Syrian state institutions to work to combat terrorism.”

Lavrov also said that Moscow was grateful for Cairo's balanced and constructive position on the Ukrainian crisis, adding that Russia and Egypt have committed to advancing joint efforts across all aspects of their bilateral agenda, as well as addressing international and regional issues collaboratively.

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