Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized the importance of cooperation between Syria and his country in light of the developments in the Middle East, highlighting the long-standing and close ties between the two nations. During his talks with Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam, who arrived in Moscow yesterday for a working visit, Putin called for dialogue and the pursuit of a policy that serves the national interests of both parties.
Putin mentioned that there are significant projects prepared by Russian experts for implementation in Syria, particularly in the fields of oil industry, transportation, energy, and military-technical cooperation.
In response, Khaddam stated that there is a prevailing belief in Syria that it is time to reestablish the Russian-Syrian relations on the right track. He emphasized that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad places great importance on the relations between the two countries. Khaddam expressed his hope that his visit would mark the beginning of new relations and pave the way for President Bashar Al-Assad’s visit to Moscow.
During the talks, the revitalization of economic and trade relations between Russia and Syria was discussed, with the aim of reaching the level before 1992 when the volume of commodity trade amounted to one billion dollars (equivalent to 163 million dollars today).
The visit program of the Syrian Vice President also includes meetings with Mikhail Kasyanov, the Prime Minister of Russia, and Gennady Seleznyov, the Speaker of the State Duma.