Moscow: The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had resigned and left the country, directing a peaceful handover of power.
In its statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry did not disclose Assad’s current whereabouts and clarified that Russia had not been involved in the discussions regarding his departure.
“As a result of negotiations between B. Assad and a number of participants in the armed conflict on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, he decided to leave the presidential post and left the country, giving instructions to transfer power peacefully.” Russian MFA said in a statement.
“Russia did not participate in these negotiations,” the ministry said.
Moscow expressed deep concern over the events in Syria and urged all parties to avoid violence, according to the statement.
“We urge all parties involved to refrain from the use of violence and to resolve all issues of governance through political means,” the statement said.
“In that regard, the Russian Federation is in contact with all groups of the Syrian opposition.” the ministry said.
The statement mentioned that Russia’s military bases in Syria were placed on high alert, though no immediate threat to them was reported.
Assad Resigns and Leaves Syria After Negotiations for Peaceful Power Transfer: Russian MFA world-news World News | Latest International News | Global World News | World Breaking Headlines Today
