Russia grants asylum to Assad, his family, calls for UN-mediated talks in Syria crisis

By Anjali Sharma

WASHINGTON – Russia on Monday has granted asylum to President Bashar al-Assad and his family, TASS reported cited a Kremlin source after the political crisis in Syria.

Media reported that the situation in Syria remains a focal point for all the neighboring nations after Syrian rebels on Sunday entered Damascus, forced Assad to flee, ending his over two-decade rule in the country.

The source confirmed that Assad and his family have arrived in Moscow and Russia has granted asylum for them, being driven by “humanitarian considerations.”

“Russia has always spoken in favor of a political settlement of the Syrian crisis. We insist that the UN-mediated talks be resumed,” the source said, reported the Russian news agency.

TASS reported “Russian officials are in touch with representatives of armed Syrian opposition, whose leaders have guaranteed security of Russian military bases and diplomatic missions on the Syrian territory,” the source added.

Russian Foreign Ministry on Sunday expressed extreme concern over the events unfolding in Syria and appealed to all parties involved in the negotiations with a strong call to renounce violence and resolve all issues by political means.

The ministry had stated that Bashar al-Assad has stepped down and left the country giving instructions to transfer power peacefully.

Russian Foreign Ministry said “We are following the dramatic events in Syria with extreme concern. As a result of negotiations between B Assad and a number of participants in the armed conflict in the SAR, he decided to leave the presidential post 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”.

“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 civil war in Syria had remained dormant for a few years resurfaced and within a span of a few weeks, the Syrian rebel groups took over several key cities like Aleppo, Homs and Daraa, before seizing control of the Damascus unopposed on Sunday, ending the Assad family’s nearly six decades of autocratic rule.

The development came hours after rebels claimed to have captured Syria’s third-largest city, Homs, to the north of Syria.

The head of Syria’s main opposition group abroad Hadi al-Bahra Syrian said that Damascus is now “without Bashar al-Assad,” according to news media reports.

This came after Syrian rebels claimed capturing Damascus.

“The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled,” the armed opposition said in a statement issued late Sunday.