Putin hosts Assad ahead of Syrian talks with Turkey and Iran
Sochi — President Vladimir Putin said the Russian army had "saved Syria as a state" after meeting with leader Bashar al-Assad in Sochi, as Syrian regime forces take an upper hand over rebels and the Islamic State group. Monday’s talks came during an unannounced "working visit" by Assad to the Black Sea resort, ahead of a summit between Putin and the leaders of Turkey and Iran on Wednesday aimed at re-booting the Syrian peace process. "As for our joint work in the fight against terrorism in Syria, this military operation is coming to an end," Putin said, according to a transcript published on the Kremlin’s website. The Russian leader praised Assad and predicted terrorism would suffer an "inevitable" defeat in the country. "Thanks to the Russian army, Syria has been saved as a state. Much has been done to stabilise the situation in Syria," the transcript said. "It is in our interest to advance the political process … we don’t want to look back and we are ready for dialogue with all th...
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