Russian President Putin said the Syrian military's successes have created conditions for "the start of a political process on a major scale." Syria's Assad said progress would be made in the Astana peace talks.
Image: Reuters/Kremlin/M. Klimentyev
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Russian and Syrian Presidents Vladimir Putin and Bashar Assad met Thursday to discuss military and political issues as well as economic ties and reconstruction.
"With the start of the political process in its most active phase, foreign armed forces will withdraw from Syrian territory," said Putin, who has previously announced Russian military withdrawals from Syria, only to keep forces there. He did not specify which foreign forces he thought would or should leave the country.
"The next task, of course, is the economic recovery and humanitarian aid for those people in a difficult situation," Putin added.
Russia intervened in the Syrian war in September 2015, turning the war in favor of President Bashar Assad's regime. In recent months Syrian regime forces backed by Russia, Iran and militias have retaken several rebel-held areas including eastern Ghouta near the capital, Damascus. Read more:'Syria is a trap for Russia,' says Putin rival Grigory Yavlinsky
Who's fighting in the Syria conflict?
Syria's civil war erupted out of the Arab Spring protests that swept much of the Middle East and North Africa in 2011. The conflict has since drawn in multiple warring factions from around the world.
Image: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images
War with no end
Syria has been engulfed in a devastating civil war since 2011 after Syrian President Bashar Assad lost control over large parts of the country to multiple revolutionary groups. The conflict has since drawn in foreign powers and brought misery and death to Syrians.
Image: picture alliance/abaca/A. Al-Bushy
The dictator
Syria's army, officially known as the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), is loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and is fighting to restore the president's rule over the entire country. The SAA has been fighting alongside a number of pro-Assad militias such as the National Defense Force and has cooperated with military advisors from Russia and Iran, which back Assad.
Turkey, which is also part of the US-led coalition against IS, has actively supported rebels opposed to Assad. It has a tense relationship with its American allies over US cooperation with Kurdish fighters, who Ankara says are linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighting in Turkey. Turkey has launched multiple military offensives targeting Kurdish militias.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/L. Pitarakis
The eastern guardian
The Kremlin has proven to be a powerful friend to Assad. Russian air power and ground troops officially joined the fight in September 2015 after years of supplying the Syrian army. Moscow has come under fire from the international community for the high number of civilian casualties during its airstrikes. However, Russia's intervention turned the tide in war in favor of Assad.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Tass/M. Metzel
The western allies
A US-led coalition of more than 50 countries, including Germany, began targeting IS and other terrorist targets with airstrikes in late 2014. The anti-IS coalition has dealt major setbacks to the militant group. The US has more than a thousand special forces in the country backing the Syrian Democratic Forces.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/A.Brandon
The rebels
The Free Syrian Army grew out of protests against the Assad regime that eventually turned violent. Along with other non-jihadist rebel groups, it seeks the ouster of President Assad and democratic elections. After suffering a number of defeats, many of its members defected to hardline militant groups. It garnered some support from the US and Turkey, but its strength has been greatly diminished.
Image: Reuters
The resistance
Fighting between Syrian Kurds and Islamists has become its own conflict. The US-led coalition against the "Islamic State" has backed the Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias. The Kurdish YPG militia is the main component of the SDF. The Kurds have had a tacit understanding with Assad.
Image: Getty Images/A. Sik
The new jihadists
"Islamic State" (IS) took advantage of regional chaos to capture vast swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014. Seeking to establish its own "caliphate," IS has become infamous for its fundamentalist brand of Islam and its mass atrocities. IS is on the brink of defeat after the US and Russia led separate military campaigns against the militant group.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo
The old jihadists
IS is not the only terrorist group that has ravaged Syria. A number of jihadist militant groups are fighting in the conflict, warring against various rebel factions and the Assad regime. One of the main jihadist factions is Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, which controls most of Idlib province and has ties with al-Qaeda.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Nusra Front on Twitter
The Persian shadow
Iran has supported Syria, its only Arab ally, for decades. Eager to maintain its ally, Tehran has provided Damascus with strategic assistance, military training and ground troops when the conflict emerged in 2011. The Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah also supports the Assad regime, fighting alongside Iranian forces and paramilitary groups in the country.
Image: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images
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Opening political process
Moscow has dominated the political track of the Syrian war since intervening, cooperating with rebel-backer Turkey and Assad-supporter Iran in the Astana negotiations aimed at reducing fighting and reaching a political solution to the conflict. A parallel UN political track in Geneva backed by the United States is largely moribund after repeated failures to end the conflict.
Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Assad had decided to "send a delegation to the UN" to discuss reforming the country's constitution.
According to the statement released by the Kremlin, Assad said Syria is "opening the door to the political process we started some time ago."
"We know it will not be easy because some countries do not want stability to return to Syria. But with you and other partners and friends, we will continue to make strong progress in the peace process," Assad was quoted as saying in the statement.
"Thanks to military successes, we are managing to normalize the situation in the country, opening the way for the return of many of our compatriots," the Syrian leader added.
Assad and Putin last met in December at a Russian air base in Syria. The Syrian president flew to meet Putin in Russia in November 2017 and October 2015.
The meeting in Sochi came a day before German Chancellor Angela Merkel meets with Putin on Friday in the Black Sea resort. It will be the first meeting between the two leaders this year.
