Assad Says Would Welcome More Russian Troops

File photo of the Syrian and Russian presidents - AFP
File photo of the Syrian and Russian presidents - AFP
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Assad Says Would Welcome More Russian Troops

File photo of the Syrian and Russian presidents - AFP
File photo of the Syrian and Russian presidents - AFP

Syrian President Bashar Assad said during an interview on Thursday that he would welcome any Russian proposals to set up new military bases and boost troop numbers in the country.

Assad, who is in Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Russia's military presence in Syria did not need to be temporary.

"We believe that if Russia has the desire to expand bases or increase their number, it is a technical or logistical issue. If there is such a desire, then we think that expanding the Russian presence in Syria is a good thing...," he was quoted as saying by Russia's state RIA news agency.

Russia maintains a significant military presence in Syria and has been a close ally of Assad, supporting his government in the country's years-long civil war by launching strikes on opposition-held areas.

Moscow's military support for Assad has helped him turn the tide in the war.

RIA reported Assad as saying that the two countries plan to sign an agreement on economic cooperation in the coming weeks,



Türkiye, Syria Sign Defense Cooperation MoU after Ankara Talks

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, accompanied by General Intelligence Service Director Hussein Al-Salama and Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra, meets with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Ankara, Turkey, August 13, 2025. Turkish Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, accompanied by General Intelligence Service Director Hussein Al-Salama and Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra, meets with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Ankara, Turkey, August 13, 2025. Turkish Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS
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Türkiye, Syria Sign Defense Cooperation MoU after Ankara Talks

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, accompanied by General Intelligence Service Director Hussein Al-Salama and Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra, meets with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Ankara, Turkey, August 13, 2025. Turkish Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, accompanied by General Intelligence Service Director Hussein Al-Salama and Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra, meets with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Ankara, Turkey, August 13, 2025. Turkish Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS

The defense ministers of Türkiye and Syria signed a memorandum of understanding on military training and consultancy after talks in Ankara on Wednesday, Türkiye's defense ministry said.

The neighbors had been negotiating a comprehensive military cooperation agreement for months, after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad in December.

Also, speaking at a news conference in Ankara with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accused Israel and the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, of undermining the country’s efforts to reestablish itself after more than a decade of civil war.
He said Israel had “fueled certain difficulties” in Syria and warned that Israeli security "cannot be achieved through undermining the security of your neighbors."
“To the contrary, you should make sure your neighboring countries are prosperous and secure. If you try to destabilize these countries, if you take steps to that end, this could trigger other crises in the region.”
Most recently, hundreds were killed in clashes in the southern province of Sweida between government forces and local Bedouin tribesmen on one side and fighters from the Druze minority on the other.