Syria's Assad in surprise visit to Moscow
10:25, 21/10/2015, WednesdayU: Update: 10:53, 21/10/2015, Wednesday
Yeni Şafak
Syrian president Bashar al-Assad paid an unannounced visit to Moscow, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Assad flew into Moscow on Tuesday night for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Yesterday evening, the president of the Syrian Arab Republic, Bashar al-Assad, made a working visit to Moscow," Peskov said,
He added that, Assad and Putin held talks over Russia's military offensive in Syria against the Islamic State of Iraq and the levant (ISIL) and other terror groups in Syria.
Syrian state TV reported that Assad's Moscow visit was the first overseas visit since the civil war broke out in Syria in 2011.
Russia began air strikes in Syria in late September.
Moscow insists the strikes are targeting ISIL and affiliated terrorist groups. However, Western countries and their Gulf allies have accused Russia of targeting Assad's more moderate opponents.