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Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday during a surprise visit to Damascus, his first since the start of the nearly nine-year war, Syria’s presidency said.<\/p>\n
“Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Damascus for a visit during which he met President Assad at the headquarters of the Russian forces,” it said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The two leaders listened to a military presentation by the commander of Russian forces in Syria, said the presidency, which posted a picture of the two leaders shaking hands.<\/p>\n
Putin extended his greetings to Russian forces for Orthodox Christmas which is celebrated on January 7.<\/p>\n
He also said enormous progress had been made in the Syrian conflict, Russian news agencies reported.<\/p>\n
“In his conversation with Assad, Putin noted that we can now say with confidence that a huge distance has been travelled towards restoring Syrian statehood and the country’s territorial integrity,” the agencies quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.<\/p>\n
Peskov told Interfax, RIA Novosti and TASS that Putin had met Assad at a command post for Russian forces in Syria, driving through Damascus on the way.<\/p>\n
“Putin also noted that on the streets of Damascus the signs of how peace has been restored can be seen with the naked eye,” according to Peskov.<\/p>\n
He said the two men had heard military reports on the situation in various parts of Syria, where Russia’s armed forces intervened in 2015 in support of Assad.<\/p>\n
“The Syrian president expressed appreciation for the help of Russia and the Russian military in the fight against terrorism and the restoration of peaceful life in Syria,” Peskov said.<\/p>\n
Putin was due to visit several more sites, Peskov said, without providing further details.<\/p>\n
The Russian leader is expected in Turkey on Wednesday to inaugurate a gas pipeline with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.<\/p>\n
The Russian leader visited Syria in December 2017 but had not been to the capital, only stopping at the Russian base of Hmeimim on the Mediterranean coast.<\/p>\n
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