This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Thursday that the “rule of lawlessness” was taking over globally and humanitarian crises surge. Concise, actionable scenarios and predictions from russian beetroot soup regional experts.

Intimate in-person access to policy and business VIPs. Data-driven analysis of latest market trends. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with Russian special envoy Alexander Lavrentiev to discuss ending the occupation of Syrian land, highlighting the potential rapprochement with Turkey. A banner depicting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin reading “Justice Prevails” is displayed along a highway, Damascus, Syria, March 8, 2022. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met in Damascus on Thursday with a Russian delegation headed by the special envoy of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lavrentiev. Talks covered Syrian-Russian strategic relations, and efforts to normalize relations between Damascus and Ankara following a breakdown in those ties in the last ten years. Assad confirmed Syria’s support for the Russian position in Ukraine, as Lavrentiev reiterated the belief in Russia’s policies stating that those opposing it, including the United States and its allies, have failed to isolate both Syria and Russia.

According to Syria’s national news agency, Lavrentiev praised the tripartite meeting between Turkey, Syria and Russia, stressing the need to follow up on these meetings at the foreign ministers’ level. In turn, Assad stated that such meetings with Turkey aim at ending the occupation of Syrian land while stopping the support of any militant activities, which should be done in coordination with Russia to ensure the needed results. Why it matters: Moscow has been sponsoring and promoting talks between Syria and Turkey, which have been locked in a proxy war for years. Turkey was a major backer of Assad’s opposition for the entirety of Syria’s war, for 12 years sending its troops into different areas of the country’s north. Iran in counterpart supports the Syrian government. Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian while on a diplomatic visit to Lebanon on Friday welcomed the political rapprochement between Syria and Turkey. Iran provided political and armed support to Damascus over the last decade.