President of Syria Bashar al-Assad is currently in Russia for an official visit to discuss the ongoing Syrian conflict with Putin.
Since the conflict began in 2011, Assad has rarely left Syria for such visits but has maintained close ties with Russia, especially as Russia has been one of the only supporters of Assad’s regime.
Since his arrival in the Kremlin on Thursday, Assad has congratulated Putin on his new term and has thanked the Russian government for its military and financial support in Syria.
Photo Credit: REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin (RUSSIA)