Assad Expresses to Putin Gratitude for Russia’s 'Comprehensive' Support to Syria

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad during a meeting in Sochi on November 20, 2017 (AFP)
Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad during a meeting in Sochi on November 20, 2017 (AFP)
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Assad Expresses to Putin Gratitude for Russia’s 'Comprehensive' Support to Syria

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad during a meeting in Sochi on November 20, 2017 (AFP)
Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad during a meeting in Sochi on November 20, 2017 (AFP)

Syrian President Bashar Assad expressed to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin gratitude to Moscow’s “comprehensive support and aid” to Damascus.

In a telephone call on Monday, “the Syrian President expressed his deep gratitude to Russia for the comprehensive aid and support being provided to the Syrian people,” the Kremlin said in a statement.

Assad and Putin discussed current issues on the bilateral agenda, primarily the prospects for further development of trade, economic and humanitarian ties. They also tackled efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s supply of its Sputnik V vaccine to Syria.

On February 22, Damascus authorized the vaccine to be used in the country.

On Syria, the officials focused on promoting the intra-Syrian peace process within the Constitutional Committee, added the Kremlin.

Assad also briefed Putin on the preparations for the upcoming presidential elections on May 26.

The Syrian presidency said in a statement that “Assad thanked Russia for the humanitarian assistance provided to help the Syrian people overcome the impact of the unjust blockade imposed on the country.”

It added that the two presidents also tackled a number of political issues, particularly the work of the Constitutional Committee and western pressure aimed at “diverting it from its track.”



Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 4 People in Gaza

A Palestinian child plays near an unexploded Israeli missile among the rubble of a destroyed building at Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, 28 September 2024. (EPA)
A Palestinian child plays near an unexploded Israeli missile among the rubble of a destroyed building at Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, 28 September 2024. (EPA)
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Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 4 People in Gaza

A Palestinian child plays near an unexploded Israeli missile among the rubble of a destroyed building at Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, 28 September 2024. (EPA)
A Palestinian child plays near an unexploded Israeli missile among the rubble of a destroyed building at Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, 28 September 2024. (EPA)

Palestinian officials said on Sunday Israeli strikes have killed at least four people in the Gaza Strip.

Two people were killed in separate strikes early Sunday in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. That’s according to the nearby Awda Hospital, which received the bodies. It said another six people were wounded.

In northern Gaza, first responders recovered two bodies after a strike on a house early Sunday, according to the Civil Defense, which operates under the Hamas-run government.

The Gaza Health Ministry said over 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, more than half of them women and children. It does not say how many of those killed were militants. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence.

The war began when Hamas-led fighters stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 hostage. Around 100 captives are still being held in Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.