Russian defense minister holds talks with Assad

MOSCOW - 12 September 2017: Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus on Tuesday at the instruction of Russian President Vladimir Putin, TASS quoted the Russian Foreign Ministry as reporting Tuesday.

"At the instruction of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Defense Minister Army General Sergei Shoigu paid a working visit to Damascus, Syria, on September 12 to hold talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad," the ministry said.

Assad and Shoigu discussed issues of stabilization of the situation in Syria, functioning of de-escalation zones and humanitarian assistance to the population.