Ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, family granted asylum in Russia
PTC News Desk: Following the political imbalance in Syria, Russia has granted political asylum to Bashar al-Assad and his family hours after rebels captured the capital Damascus.
Earlier on Sunday speculations started gaining momentum over sudden disappearance of Syrian leader after the plane got off the radar. The source confirmed that Assad and his family have arrived in Moscow and Russia has granted asylum for them, being driven by "humanitarian considerations."
Notably, the Russian foreign ministry expressed great concerns over the dramatic turn of events in Syria resulting in ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Further, the ministry had stated that Bashar al-Assad has stepped down and left the country giving instructions to transfer power peacefully.
"Russia did not participate in these negotiations. At the same time, we appeal to all parties involved with a strong call to renounce the use of violence and resolve all governance issues by political means," Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"In this regard, the Russian Federation is in contact with all groups of the Syrian opposition. We call for respect for the opinions of all ethno-confessional forces of Syrian society, and support efforts to establish an inclusive political process based on the unanimously adopted UN Security Council Resolution 2254," the statement added.
The development came hours after rebels claimed to have captured Syria's third-largest city, Homs, to the north of the country.
The head of Syria's main opposition group abroad Hadi al-Bahra Syrian said that Damascus is now "without Bashar al-Assad," according to Reuters. This came after Syrian rebels claimed capturing Damascus.
- With inputs from agencies
