Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hailed the “bravery and courage of the Russian heroes” for their contribution in countering terrorism on the Syrian territories.
This came during the exchanged cables between Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the 75th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between the Syria and Russia, reported Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
Assad indicated that Damascus has always been and will remain assured of the relations with Moscow as they are built on solid bases of confidence and mutual respect.
The President affirmed Syria’s keenness to enhance relations in all areas in a way that would achieve the mutual benefit of the two countries and serve their interests.
Damascus highly appreciates “Russia’s standing by Syria at the international forums in defense of its sovereignty and independent decision,” said Assad.
For his part, Putin expressed his confidence that mutual efforts will achieve the final triumph over terrorism on the Syrian territories, according to SANA.
“Wide experience has been gained over the past decades in the bilateral cooperation in different domains, and today Russia and Syria ally with each other in the face of combating the international terrorism and extremism.”
In September 2015, Russian air force fought with the Syrian forces against the opposition factions in Aleppo and then got engaged in battles alongside the army on all fronts in the country.
Meanwhile, the executive secretary for the People's Council of Syria, Khaled Abboud, revealed that several “armed attacks” targeted the Russian forces in Daraa, south of Syria.
He told Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen channel that the attacks are carried out by unknown parties that target Syrian regime forces and Russian patrols in Daraa, adding that they targeted Syrian and Russian soldiers as well as civilians.
Abboud pointed out that some offensives have not been announced, explaining that this sent an important message to Russian officials on recent developments.
The secretary stressed that these operations put the settlements in face of a real challenge, and could lead to a lack of stability and security.
Abboud also criticized the Russian role in Daraa, saying the way they handled armed groups that refused to disarm, allowed them to carry out attacks and push towards instability and security. He warned that Russian officials should be careful about Daraa’s special case and that any weapon should remain within the state’s authority.
