Putin offers cooperation to Syrian leader, backs efforts to stabilise country

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a message to Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa supporting efforts to stabilise the situation in the country and saying Russia is ready to engage in "practical cooperation", Russian state news agency TASS reported on Thursday.

Putin confirmed "Russia's continuing readiness to develop practical cooperation with the Syrian leadership on the whole range of issues on the bilateral agenda in order to strengthen traditionally friendly Russian-Syrian relations," it quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.

Syria has been rocked by a wave of sectarian killings. The Kremlin said earlier this month it wanted to see a united and "friendly" Syria because instability there could affect the whole of the Middle East.

Russia, which has two strategically important military bases in Syria, was one of the main supporters of former President Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia after he was toppled in December.