US 'unsurprised' by Assad's Moscow visit

Government officials in the United States, which is leading a coalition in Syria and Iraq against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants, said Wednesday that the "red carpet welcome" to the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Moscow by Russian president Vladimir Putin did not surprise them.

During a press briefing, US State Department spokesperson John Kirby said : "It's not surprising that Bashar al-Assad would travel to Moscow, given the relationship Syria has with Russia, and given the recent military activities by Russia in Syria on behalf of Bashar al-Assad."

On Tuesday evening, Assad flew to Moscow, his first foreign trip since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, to thank Putin for his unanimous support.

The Kremlin, which did not officially announce Assad's visit until Wednesday morning, described it as a “working visit" and said both leaders discussed reaching a “peaceful" political solution to the Syrian conflict and the fight against "terrorist extremist groups," a term the Assad regime regularly uses to describe all elements of the disparate opposition.

“Yesterday evening, Syrian President Bashar Assad arrived in Moscow for a working visit," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday. “President [Putin] was informed in detail by his Syrian counterpart about the current state of affairs in Syria and the long-range plan."

The latest development pulled Russia closer to center stage and indicated that Putin is becoming a key player in the Syrian uprising-turned-civil-war.

"We view the red-carpet welcome for Assad, who has used chemical weapons against his own people, at odds with the stated goal by the Russians for a political transition in Syria," White House spokesperson Eric Schultz told reporters.

The visit came a week after the Russian fighters launched air strikes on “terrorist" groups in Syria. US, Turkey and other members of the anti-ISIL coaltion condemned Russia for the air strikes and accused Putin for bombing moderate opposition groups and killing civilians.

The day before Assad's Moscow visit, US and Russian military officials signed a memorandum of understanding on air safety that includes steps their pilots should take to avoid an inadvertent clash over Syria as they carry out separate air strikes against militant groups.

Last week, Putin also said Russia would not deploy ground troops to Syria, where it has been conducting air strikes against what it says are ISIL targets. The itinerary of Assad's unannounced trip has reportedly been kept secret until he returns to Damascus.

The Kremlin said that Putin called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, one of the strong supporters of Syrian civilians' will, after the visit and informed him of the results of the meeting.

“The situation in Syria was discussed," Peskov said. “In this context, the leader of Russia informed his Turkish counterpart about the results of Syrian President al-Assad's visit to Moscow."

Turkey, a key ally of the US in the Syrian conflict, also expressed disapproval of Russia's actions in Syria, fearing that an escalation of bombings will cause another surge of refugees into Turkey.

While answering a question about Assad's trip to Moscow, Ahmet Davutoğlu, the Prime Minister of theTurkish Republic, on Wednesday criticized the latest development, saying there was no change in Turkey's position, that Assad's government had lost legitimacy. "If only he could stay in Moscow longer, to give the people of Syria some relief; in fact, he should stay there so the transition can begin," Davutoğlu told reporters.

Ankara accepts a transition in Syria which guarantees the departure of Assad, the Turkish Prime Minister said.

His remarks came a day after two senior government officials reportedly said that Ankara was ready to accept a political transition in which Assad remains in symbolic power for six months before leaving office.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet Friday with their Turkish and Saudi counterparts in Vienna to discuss Syria.