Vladimir Putin receives Bashar al-Assad and criticizes foreign interference in Syria

Published on : 09/14/2021 – 09:26

Russian President Vladimir Putin has criticized the presence of foreign forces in Syria and hailed the “considerable damage” done to rebels and jihadists, by receiving his ally Bashar al-Assad in Russia, the Kremlin announced on Tuesday (September 14th).

During this one-on-one meeting between the two men, which took place on Monday, Vladimir Putin estimated that the “terrorists have suffered considerable damage” in Syria, where government forces control “90% of the territory, according to him. “.

However, the Russian president said, according to a Kremlin statement released Tuesday, that Syria’s “main problem” is foreign interference on its soil.

“The foreign armed forces, without a UN decision, without your agreement, are present in certain territories of the country, which is manifestly contrary to international law and does not allow to make the maximum efforts to consolidate the country and progress on the way to its reconstruction, ”said Vladimir Putin.

The Russian president also assured that Bashar al-Assad was doing “a lot” to “establish a dialogue” with his “political opponents”.

“Destructive influence of certain states”

Bashar al-Assad praised him the “significant results obtained by Russia and Syria in the liberation of the territories occupied by the combatants and in the destruction of terrorism”, according to the transcription in Russian of his remarks by the Kremlin.

He admitted, however, that the “political processes” undertaken to end the war in Syria “have come to a halt.” He attributed this judgment in particular to “the destructive influence” of “certain States”.

“Some states have imposed sanctions on the Syrian people, which can be described as anti-human, anti-state and illegitimate,” he added.

Russia intervened militarily in Syria in 2015, allowing Bashar al-Assad’s forces to regain most of the territories lost to rebels and jihadists. Moscow has military bases there.

Several rounds of UN-sponsored talks have failed to stem the violence in Syria, which has claimed an estimated 500,000 lives and displaced millions since the conflict began in 2011.

With AFP