Putin congratulates Syrian counterpart on progress in restoring territorial integrity

MOSCOW / ISTANBUL

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday congratulated his Syrian counterpart, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, on the progress made in restoring Syria’s territorial integrity.

Opening a meeting in Moscow with Al-Sharaa, who is making his second visit to Russia in four months, Putin expressed his support for the Syrian leader.

"We have been monitoring closely your efforts to restore the territorial integrity of Syria, and I would like to congratulate you on the fact that this process is gaining momentum. We have always stood for restoring the territorial integrity of Syria, as you are aware, and we support your efforts in this very regard," Putin said.

Putin particularly praised the advancement of the Syrian army in the Euphrates region, saying integration of this area is "critical" for the restoration of Syria.

"I hope that the integration of the Euphrates region is, without a doubt, a crucial step in this direction and that it will contribute to the restoration of Syria's territorial integrity as a whole," he said.

He also noted that thanks to the efforts of both governments, economic cooperation “moved from the dead point” and grew by some 4% recently.

"This may not be as ambitious as we would like, but it is notable. And we have to do everything to preserve this good trend," he added.

Putin highlighted the depth of Russia-Syria ties, noting that diplomatic relations were established in 1944, a difficult time for Russia, which was then fighting Nazi Germany in World War II.

"Now, in the new realities, thanks in part and above all to your efforts, relations between Syria and Russia are developing," he said.

He also mentioned that a large interdepartmental delegation from the Russian government recently visited Damascus and worked actively with Syrian counterparts.

"I know that much will need to be restored in Syria, and our economic operators, including those in the construction sector, are ready for this joint work," he said.

For his part, Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa noted that Russia and Syria have exchanged 13 delegations since December.

"We have many topics that we can work on and discuss, and I hope that we will discuss them in detail during our meeting and that it will be fruitful," he said.

Sharaa added that Syria came a long way over the past year, overcame the sanctions phase, and that its major goal now is restoring territorial integrity.

"The major challenge is the reunification of Syrian territory. We've been working on this issue since last year. Russia, of course, plays a major role in Syria, in stabilizing the situation not only in Syria but also in the region," he said.

The Syrian leader emphasized that the Middle East "is in dire need of stabilization," adding, "Therefore, thank you very much, Mr. President, for your efforts in this matter."

The Syrian president said that seeing heavy snow on the way from the airport to the Kremlin reminded him of historical attacks on Moscow, which were repelled by the people's resilience—and the weather.

"I remembered that historically there have been many military operations, attempts to reach Moscow, but the people's resilience and the weather even helped repel these attacks," he said.

Earlier in the day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a press briefing in Moscow that Putin and Sharaa will discuss the issues related to the presence of the Russian armed forces in Syria.

On reports that Syrian authorities had requested Russia’s withdrawal from an airfield in Qamishli, Peskov said only the Defense Ministry could address such matters.

“As for the deployment of our armed forces on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, this is the prerogative of the Ministry of Defense. We recommend contacting them,” he said.

Wednesday’s visit is the second by Sharaa to Moscow after a similar trip in October 2025.