Syria says Russian withdrawal was no surprise to Assad's government
GENEVA - Russia's withdrawal of forces from Syria was no surprise to Damascus, Bashar Ja'afari, head of the Syrian government delegation at peace talks in Geneva, said on Wednesday.
"The Russian decision to withdraw partially from Syria was taken jointly by a common decision, taken both by President Putin and President Assad. So it wasn't a surprise for us," Ja'afari told reporters.
He said Russia's military involvement in Syria was a matter that would be constantly reviewed by both countries.
"The day they will leave or withdraw or redeploy their forces partially or totally, it will be done again and again and again through a joint Syrian-Russian coordination action."
