The Russian newspaper “Vedomosti” reported that the aim of the visit of the Russian Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, to the Syrian capital, Damascus, earlier this week, is linked to the need to deter the spread of the Corona virus.
The newspaper quoted a source close to the Russian Ministry of Defense as referring to the importance of the timing of the two-day visit that ended on Tuesday, during which Minister Shoigu discussed with the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad the situation in Idlib Governorate and the implementation of the agreement concluded between them in Russia and Turkey, in conjunction with the continued spread of the new virus in various around the world.
The source pointed out that the aim of this visit lies in “preventing any escalation that would distract the efforts of Russia, Turkey and Syria from more serious challenges caused by the Corona virus.”
The newspaper pointed out that Moscow and Ankara, nine days after they ran the first joint patrol on the “M-4” road in Idlib, had not yet been able to prolong the course of this patrol, and quoted two sources close to the Russian Defense Ministry stating that the second patrol was organized on March 23 It came a low distance due to problems encountered by the Turkish side in ensuring its security.
Source: Vedomosti
