Several Russian lawmakers arrived in Syria on Friday for a meeting with President Bashar Assad on the day when foreign policy chiefs of Russia, the US, Turkey and Saudi Arabia are discussing a political settlement to Syria’s civil war.
lawmakers are likely to receive a hero’s welcome in Assad-controlled areas where local residents and refugees are ecstatic about Russia’s military help, chanting “Thank you!” to a bus carrying Moscow-based journalists. The lawmakers’ visit, announced by
Russian news agencies, comes three days after Assad made a surprise trip to Moscow to meet with President
Vladimir Putin.