The Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had a meeting with the Russian President Vladimir Putin after arriving in Moscow on Tuesday morning. 

President Putin remarked, during the meeting, that the Syrian President is working hard to establish dialogue with political opponents. 

During the meeting, President Putin congratulated the Syrian President for winning the latest presidential elections. The election results were a demonstration of the Syrian people's trust in their president. Moreover, Syrians have been counting on their president to restore the livelihood of Syria, as they anticipate getting 'back to normal' despite the brutal violence the country has experienced. 

"Terrorists sustained very serious damage, and the Syrian government, headed by yourself, controls 90% of the territories," Putin said to Assad stressing that the combined efforts of the two nations were the key factor in defeating terrorism.  

In addition, the Russian President noted that the illegal presence of foreign forces in Syria is a major challenge that Syria is facing and that it is holding it back from reaching unity and solidarity.

«Очень рад вас приветствовать в Москве, поздравляю с очень хорошими результатами президентских выборов. Они говорят о том, что люди вам доверяют и с вами связывают процесс возвращения к нормальной жизни»: Башар Асад в понедельник вечером прилетел в Москву на переговоры с Путиным pic.twitter.com/8TywrN0jBa

— Дмитрий Смирнов (@dimsmirnov175) September 14, 2021

Addressing the bilateral economic relations, Putin noted that the exchange rate between the two states increased by 3.5 times during the first half of the year 2021, recalling that the first shipments of the Sputnik V and Sputnik Light vaccines were already delivered to Syria.

The two armies succeeded in defeating international terrorism, liberating lands, and aiding refugees to return to their lands and homes - the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad lauded the efforts of the two armies in these matters. He noted that some countries played a role in blocking any possible political process regarding the situation in Syria.  

The Syrian president emphasized that political meetings and talks held in Sochi or Nur-Sultan had an effect on restoring normal life in Syria. The Syrian leader emphasized, "I would like to highlight the fact that the political processes which we used to carry out stopped approximately three years ago. There are certain reasons behind it. There are some states who do everything possible to destructively affect the opportunity to organize political processes."

Moreover, al-Assad thanked Russia for providing support and assistance to defeat terrorists in Syria, noting that the actions of two countries generally "made a huge contribution to the cause of protecting the whole humanity" from terrorism. On the other hand, al-Assad describes the sanctions imposed on Syria by the US and its allies as inhumane and illegal.