The first photo of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife in Moscow has been shared across Russian media outlets.
A Kremlin source reported on Sunday evening that Assad and his family had arrived in the Russian capital, Moscow.
The Kremlin announced, according to the Russian Channel One, that asylum had been granted to Assad and his family for humanitarian reasons.
The source said in statements to RIA Novosti: “Syrian President Assad and members of his family arrived in Moscow after being granted asylum based on humanitarian considerations.”
Sputnik reported a source in Kremlin that, “Russia has always supported the search for a political solution to the Syrian crisis, and we proceed from the need to resume negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement: “We are following the tragic events taking place in Syria with great concern. As a result of negotiations between Bashar al-Assad and participants in the armed conflict on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, he decided to leave his presidential post and left the country, giving instructions to carry out the process of transferring power peacefully.”
It noted that Russia did not participate in these negotiations.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called on all parties concerned to make a “convincing call to renounce the use of violence and resolve all governance issues through political means,” noting that Russia is “in contact with all factions of the Syrian opposition.”
The Foreign Ministry said: “We call for respecting the views of all ethnic and sectarian forces in Syrian society, and we support efforts to establish an inclusive political process on the basis of UN Security Council Resolution 2254, which was adopted unanimously.”
It continued: “We hope that these trends will be taken into account by the United Nations and all parties concerned, including in the context of implementing the initiative of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Syria, Geir Pedersen, to urgently organize comprehensive negotiations between the Syrians in Geneva.”
“At the same time, all necessary measures are being taken to ensure the safety of our citizens in Syria.”
