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After Damascus talks, Moscow pressures Syria

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov’s Dec. 10-11 visit to Damascus and increased contact with Turkey signal a shift in Russian-Syrian relations as Moscow looks for a political solution.
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (R) meets Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov in Damascus December 10, 2014 in this picture released by Syria's national news agency SANA. REUTERS/SANA/Handout via Reuters (SYRIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS CONFLICT) 

ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. T
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Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov’s visit to Damascus on Dec. 10-11 drew the attention of many. After the Russian official met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Damascus issued an official statement about the meeting, stating that Assad stressed, “Russia has always stood by the Syrian people and proved that it supports people’s right to self-determination and respects the sovereignty of states and international laws.” Moreover, Assad also said, “Syria is confident that any Russian diplomatic action will be based on these principles, and on this basis it deals positively with the efforts exerted by Russia and aimed at finding a solution to the crisis.”

According to the same official statement, Bogdanov said after the meeting, “We always discuss the bilateral relations and the situation between the two parties, and the consolidation of the future relations between our two countries and our two peoples.” He added, “We tackled the crisis in Syria and the political solution, and how we can settle this matter as soon as possible. Our basic and most important mission is to fight terrorism.”

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