A Russian delegation from the parliament’s upper house, the Federation Council, will pay a two-day visit to Syria starting on Saturday to asses the current situation in the country.
“The Federation Council is sending a delegation of Russian senators to see what in reality is going on in Syria,” Mikhail Margelov, the head of the Federation Council international affairs committee, said.
The delegation of senators, chaired by Federation Council Deputy Chairman Ilyas Umakhanov, will meet with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad as well as with leaders of the opposition.
Margelov reiterated that Russia’s position on the conflict in Syria would remain unchanged as Moscow stands for “a political and non-violent resolution” of the situation.
“We [Russia] are ready to extend a helping hand to stimulate political processes in Syria,” the senator said.
Moscow favors a political solution to the six-month confrontation between the Syrian authorities and the opposition, while the United States and the European Union have called on President Bashar Al-Assad to quit.
The Syrian government has used force to crush the opposition protests, which followed a wave of uprisings in other Arab countries. The UN says at least 2,200 people have died since the start of the protests in March.