Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Bashar al-Assad on his victory at the presidential elections in Syria, according to a congratulatory telegram circulated by the Kremlin press office on Friday.
"The voting results have fully confirmed your high political prestige, the fellow citizens’ trust for the policy pursued under your leadership towards stabilizing the situation in Syria as quickly as possible and strengthening its state institutions," the congratulatory telegram says.
Putin also "stressed that the Russian side intends to continue rendering comprehensive support to Syrian partners in fighting terrorism and extremism and promoting the process of political settlement and the country’s post-conflict recovery".
