The Syrian president met the Russian president in Moscow in his second visit

Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa said on Wednesday that his country has overcome many obstacles over the past year, the latest of which is the challenge of unifying its territory.

This came in a joint statement by the Syrian president and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.

“I am very happy with this second visit, and I believe that this is the 13th visit between the Russian and Syrian delegations since last year,” he added.

He continued: “Tomorrow (Thursday) will be a full year since the first visit of the Russian delegation to Syria after the new era”.

Commenting on the snow scene in Moscow, Sharaa said, “As I came from the airport, I saw a large amount of snow on our way to the Kremlin, and I remembered the previous history… I remembered how many military campaigns some parties tried to reach Moscow, and then how the courage of Russian soldiers and nature prevented it from defending this blessed land, and we pray to God for its safety always,” he said.

Sharaa pointed out that there are many common topics between us, and we hope to discuss them in many details during this fruitful meeting.

He considered that his country has taken many steps over the past year and overcame stages and obstacles, the latest of which is the challenge of unifying Syrian territory.

Sharaa pointed out that Russia’s positions over the past year were in favor of the territorial integrity of Syria.

He stressed that his country has a historic role in the unity and stability of the entire region.

“We hope that these efforts will continue until the Middle East is in the best shape and we move from a state of devastation and destruction to a state of stability and development,” he said.

For his part, Putin said: “We’re happy to see you again in Moscow”.

“During the period after our last meeting, we did a lot of work from the point of view of restoring bilateral relations, and we did the work of moving the level of cooperation in the economic field,” he said.

“We’ve recorded an increase… In trade, this doesn’t mean the growth we absolutely want, but it has moved in the right direction, and we are working hard to develop relations in all areas”.

Recalling the historical roots of the relationship, Putin said, “Syrian-Russian relations have deep roots; in 1944, at the time of World War II, the Soviet Union and Syria signed the relevant agreements”.

He added, “Now in the new circumstances, thanks to your personal efforts, Russian-Syrian relations are developing, and there is more than one topic for discussion, and ministries and bodies are working successfully”.

“We know that there is a lot of need to rebuild it, and the housing and construction sector in Russia is ready for this work,” Putin said.

He continued, “We’re closely following your efforts to restore the integrity and unity of the Syrian territory, and we congratulate you on the success and increasing pace of this operation, and we support your efforts in this direction”.

Putin concluded: “I hope that the return of the east of the Euphrates to the arms of Damascus is an important step in this direction, and will contribute to the full restoration of the integrity and territorial integrity of Syria”.