Russian officials discuss 'finally destroying' terrorists with Syria's Assad
A senior delegation representing Russia’s foreign and defense ministries has met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to discuss the country's situation, specifically the 'final destruction' of terrorists.
A Russian Foreign Ministry statement was released on Saturday, detailing the talks which included Russian special presidential envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin and a number of Defense Ministry officials.
“The whole range of issues relating to the development of the situation in [Syria] was substantively considered. A firm commitment was confirmed to finally destroy the terrorist presence and make steady progress towards a long-term political settlement in the interests of all Syrians,” read the statement.
The discussions come amid recently heightened diplomatic activity over the fate of Syria as a delegation from the Syrian People’s Assembly met with Russian officials in Moscow earlier today. Furthermore, a high-level Russian delegation met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss the matter four days earlier while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to host Russian, German and French heads of state seeking to find a "long-lasting solution" for the war-torn country in a week.
In September, the Syrian government was about to stage a large-scale counterterrorism operation in the militant controlled Idlib province. Russia, an ally of the Syrian government, and Turkey, which sides with anti-Damascus militants, however, announced a plan to create a demilitarized zone in the province, where the outfits would be disarmed and ultimately ordered to withdraw.
The plan prevented the operation. Nevertheless, Syria has made it clear that the Turkish-Russian initiative in Idlib is only "temporary," and that the province will ultimately fall back under government control.
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