Damascus, Oct 8 (Sputnik) – Syrian President Bashar Assad told Sputnik that a meeting between him and Russian President Vladimir Putin could be expected to take place in the future, whereas the communication at the moment mainly takes place over the phone because of the coronavirus-related limitations.
“Of course, we are going to talk in the future and we are going to meet in the future, but that depends on the political situation regarding Syria,” Assad said, when asked if there are plans on his agenda to meet with Putin anytime soon.
The Syrian president pointed to the impact of COVID-19 on the in-person formats of contacts between officials all over the world, adding that “in the near future, I think the conversation will be on the phone” for that reason.
“We have regular contact, mainly over the phone, whenever something new happens or whenever there is a need for these conversations,” Assad said.
The war in Syria is in its ninth year now. In August 2015, Damascus asked Moscow for military assistance in countering the armed opposition forces, including terrorist organizations. The Russian forces have been providing assistance on the ground, as well as facilitating the return of Syrian refugees and the restoration of peaceful life.