Although this was the first direct conversation between Putin and al-Sharaa, the interim Syrian leader had previously engaged with Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and special presidential envoy Alexander Lavrentyev during a high-profile visit to Damascus in January.
Shara’s unlikely path from membership in Al Qaeda to head of state has raised questions about how he intends to govern Syria.
About 600 delegates attended the national dialogue conference in Syria, although about a thousand were originally planned to attend. In particular, the Kurdish factions did not receive invitations, their representatives told Izvestia.
In a series of posts on an X account attributed to her, Syria’s former first lady Asma al-Assad wished the Syrian people safety and said she will not intervene in political issues in the future.
Talks have been ongoing about the future of Russian military bases in Syria's Latakia and Tartous cities with signs that Moscow could maintain a presence.
Syria's central bank said a batch of Syrian currency had arrived at Damascus airport from Russia, where banknotes were printed under the rule of toppled President Bashar al-Assad, Syria's state news agency SANA reported on Friday.
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