Hacettepe university, Private university in Ankara, Turkey

Both officials met at the Russian troops' headquarters in the Syrian capital, according to the Syrian presidency and state-run SANA news agency.The pair watched a military demonstration by the Russian troops deployed in the country, the presidency said on Tuesday, reported Efe news.Putin sent Orthodox Christmas wishes to the Russian troops stationed in Syria, according to the source.Russian troops have been deployed in Syria since September 2015, fighting in favour of al-Assad.Al-Assad, for his part, said he appreciated the role of the Russian troops in the Arab country and "the Syrian people for the sacrifices they have done," alongside the army.During the meeting they discussed recent developments in the region and plans to eradicate terrorism in Idlib, according to the source.The Syrian troops, with Russian support, have launched an offensive in the northwestern province of Idlib, the last opposition stronghold.They also addressed the situation in northern Syria, where Turkey launched an offensive to establish a safe zone.Putin and al-Assad toured the Syrian capital, where they visited the Umayyad Mosque and its John the Baptist's mausoleum, according to SANA.This is the first surprise visit the head of state has made to Russian troops since December 2017, when Putin visited an air base in the western province of Latakia.The visit came amid escalating tensions in the Middle East after a US strike killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad.As the head of the elite Quds Force, a branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Soleimani had for years wielded his country's influence across the wider Middle East, strengthening Shia militias from Lebanon to Iraq and coming to the aid of Tehran's allies, like Bashar Al Assad in Syria.Putin is scheduled to head next to Istanbul, where he will meet on Wednesday his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.Both are scheduled to take part in the launch of the Turk Stream natural gas pipeline, which will supply Turkey with Russian gas through the Black Sea.( With inputs from IANS )

Hacettepe UniversityFOLLOW

Hacettepe university, Latest News

(life) Addiction to nicotine or tobacco is one of the most common addictions world wide, and also the leading cause of oral and lung cancers besides other diseases. ...

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday announced that his country will begin as soon as possible explorations for gas in the eastern Mediterranean this year. ...

Turkey's two-and-a-half year block on access to digital encyclopedia Wikipedia has been overturned by the country's Constitutional Court, which has published a detailed ruling on Wednesday in the Official Gazette. ...

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with European Council President Charles Michel in Istanbul to discuss the latest developments in the region as well as bilateral relations. ...

An ardent desire for a "mummy makeover" to get back into bikini-body shape not only caused a 27-year-old mother of twins from Sweden immense pain and mental trauma, but also left her poorer by 6,000 pounds. ...

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan have urged to establish a ceasefire in Libya starting midnight on Jan. 12, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. ...

Turkey and Russia on Wednesday inaugurated the TurkStream pipeline that transports Russian natural gas to Turkey and Europe. ...

Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a surprise visit to Damascus where he met his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. ...