MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd December, 2020) Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov has held talks with Syrian Minister of Presidential Affairs Mansour Azzam to discuss Syria's economic recovery and return of refugees, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a press release on Thursday.
"During the conversation, which was also attended by Syrian Ambassador to Russia Riyad Haddad, [the parties] thoroughly discussed the further strengthening of the multifaceted Russian-Syrian cooperation, including in the context of efforts for stabilizing the situation in Syria and recovering its socio-economic infrastructure. With that, [the parties] stated the importance of mobilizing the international facilitation of processes pertaining to the political settlement in Syria and the return of Syrian refugees to their homes," the press release read.
Bogdanov has reaffirmed Russia's unwavering commitment to the principles of Syria's sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, as well as the determination to continue to support the Syrian people in the fight against terrorism, the ministry said.
�In November, Damascus hosted an international conference dedicated to the return of Syrian refugees, with a focus on the obstacles posed by the ongoing international economic blockade of Syria.
More than 5.6 million people have fled Syria since 2011, when the war began, and more than 6.6 million were displaced internally due to the fighting and terrorism, according to the UN Refugee Agency. Russia assists Syria in clearing the remaining terrorist strongholds, primarily in the country's north, and facilitating the return of Syrian refugees.
