Russian defense minister meets Bashar al-Assad in Syria

MOSCOW

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu on Tuesday met Syria’s Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian capital of Damascus, according to Russian Defense Ministry.

The visit was made on Russian President Vladimir Putin's directives, the ministry said in a statement.

Shoygu held talks with Assad and conveyed to him Putin's message, the statement said.

They discussed regional security, post-conflict settlement, expanding the scale of repatriation of Syrians and providing them with the humanitarian aid, it added.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million others displaced, according to UN officials.

MOSCOW

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu on Tuesday met Syria’s Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian capital of Damascus, according to Russian Defense Ministry.

The visit was made on Russian President Vladimir Putin's directives, the ministry said in a statement.

Shoygu held talks with Assad and conveyed to him Putin's message, the statement said.

They discussed regional security, post-conflict settlement, expanding the scale of repatriation of Syrians and providing them with the humanitarian aid, it added.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million others displaced, according to UN officials.