The head of the Syrian Arab Republic, President Bashar al-Assad undertook a surprise visit to Sochi to confer with President Vladimir Putin of Russia regarding latest developments in the Syrian Civil War on the 17th of May, 2018. In a transcription which was released later that night by the Russian Press, it was revealed that President Putin assured Bashar al-Assad that the “foreign armed forces” were expected to pull out of Syria as soon as possible.
This transcript roused many discussions among the public as it was not immediately clear whose foreign forces Putin expected to leave the country, because Russia, Iran, as well as the US had stationed troops in the country. However, it was clear that President Putin was convinced that the withdrawal of these troops would stabilize the peace settlement ending the civil war successfully.
When the Kremlin released the official transcript, it became evident that President Putin had praised the Syrian Army for achieving “significant victories and successes” in their war. In response, Mr. Assad expressed his gratitude towards Russia for their military aid, and other political support. President Putin also congratulated Bashar al-Assad for successfully clearing the area around Damascus of “terrorist forces”. It is to be noted that Putin clearly deviated off the Western allegations regarding Assad using illegal chemical weapons against the forces situated around the capital. Instead, President Putin declared that the Syrian Army had succeeded to “push them back and practically end their operations near the Syrian capital” – a feat to be celebrated indeed.