Assad visits Russia
During talks, Syrian leader thanks Putin for military support.
DAMASCUS, Syria — President Bashar Assad traveled to Moscow in his first known trip abroad since war broke out in Syria in 2011, meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The two leaders stressed that military operations in Syria — in which Moscow is the latest addition — must lead to a political process.
Russia later announced that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry have agreed to meet Friday in Vienna with their counterparts from Saudi Arabia and Turkey to discuss the Syria crisis.
The surprise visit Tuesday reflects renewed confidence from the Syrian president after Russia and Iran, another staunch ally, dramatically escalated their support recently as Moscow began carrying out airstrikes on Syrian insurgents and Tehran sent hundreds of ground forces.
A Syrian official confirmed Wednesday that Assad had returned to Damascus. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Putin said he had invited Assad, thanking him for “coming to Moscow despite a tragic situation in your country.”
Assad smiled as he shook hands with Putin and other officials. “We thank you for standing by Syria’s territorial integrity and its independence,” Assad told Putin. “The whole people [of Syria] wants to take part in deciding the fate of the state, not just the ruling group.”
Syria’s conflict began in March 2011 after the government cracked down on protests against Assad’s rule. The protests gradually became an armed insurgency and a civil war that has killed a quarter of a million people in the past five years.
Russia started an air campaign Sept. 30 against what it says are terrorist groups threatening Syria and Assad’s rule.
Russia says it is targeting militant groups such as the Islamic State and al-Qaida.
The Pentagon and NATO allies have expressed wor- ry over possible inadvertent encounters between Russian and U.S.-led coalition aircraft in the skies over Syria. Neighboring Turkey has accused Russia of twice violating its airspace and shot down a Russian-made drone last week.
“Naturally, [they discussed] issues of the fight against terrorist and extremist groups, issues of the continuation of the Russian operation supporting the offensive of the Syrian armed forces,” Dmitri Peskov, Putin’s personal spokesman, said of the meeting between the two leaders.
Putin said that along with fighting militants, Moscow believes that “a long-term settlement can only be achieved as part of a political process with the participation of all political forces, ethnic and religious groups.”
“The Syrian people have been putting up a fight against international terrorism effectively on its own for several years, sustaining sizable losses but it has achieved positive results recently,” Putin said.
A statement posted on the Syrian presidency’s official Facebook page said the meetings discussed the continuation of the military operations against terrorism in Syria, calling terrorism the “obstacle” to a political solution.
“Terrorism which we see
spreading today could have been more widespread and more harmful if it weren’t for your decisions and steps, not only in our region,” Assad told Putin in remarks carried by Arab media.
The statement said Assad had three meetings in Moscow: talks with Putin and the Russian foreign and defense ministers, a private meeting with Putin, and a working dinner.
Television footage showed Putin and Russia’s foreign and defense ministers meeting with Assad, with the two leaders exchanging warm handshakes and smiles. Syrian government officials didn’t say if anyone traveled with Assad, and photos didn’t show a delegation accompanying the Syrian leader.
Assad said Russia’s intervention was in line with international law and praised it as an effort to rid Syria and the region of terrorism.
Peskov, in comments carried by Russian news agencies, declined to comment on any specific outcome of the talks.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who was present at the talks and dinner Tuesday with Assad, said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies that Moscow is not going to halt its military operation in Syria.
“With our support, Syrian government forces have turned from a retreat to an offensive, liberating a part of their territory from Islamic State militants,” Shoigu said. “We are going to continue rendering the assistance to the legitimate Syrian authorities and create preconditions for a settlement of this conflict.”
There was no immediate comment from Washington on Assad’s trip. But in NATO-member Turkey — one of Assad’s leading opponents — Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said he hoped Assad would stay in Moscow to give the people of Syria “relief” and begin a political transition.
Davutoglu insisted that efforts to find a solution to the Syrian crisis should focus “not on a transition with Assad, but on formulas for Assad’s departure.”