The Russian side has established interaction with the political committee of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham movement (outlawed in Russia), said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who also serves as special presidential envoy for the Middle East and Africa, Report informs via TASS.
"Interaction has been established with the political committee currently operating out of one of Damascus hotels. They are holding meetings there, and representatives from our embassy have met with them to discuss various issues, above all, of ensuring our diplomatic mission’s security and that of the Russian citizens who are on Syrian soil today," he said. "Essentially, this interaction is constructive, we are hoping for all promises by representatives of these groups, people, forces responsible for the situation in the city to be fulfilled. What I mean is preventing certain incidents and ensuring security of foreign diplomatic missions, certainly including the Russian Embassy," the senior diplomat said.
On November 27, members of armed opposition groups launched a large-scale offensive against government forces' positions in Aleppo and Idlib governorates. By the evening of December 7, opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad had captured several major cities: Aleppo, Hama, Deir ez-Zor, Deraa, and Homs. They entered Damascus on December 8, after which Syrian army units withdrew from the city. Assad resigned as president of Syria and fled the country, instructing for the peaceful transfer of power.