Russian President Vladimir Putin with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during a meeting at the Kremlin, Moscow, on July 24
“His safety is guaranteed, and this proves that Russia acted as necessary in exceptional situations,” Deputy Minister Ryabkov told NBC News.
Russian officials said the flight was carried out extremely securely, but refused to provide details and what happened at the time.
Regarding the question of whether Russia will hand over Mr. Bashar al-Assad for trial, Mr. Ryabkov said: “Russia is not a party to the convention establishing the International Criminal Court (ICC).”
On December 9, the Kremlin confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had decided to grant asylum in Russia to Mr. Assad, but did not reveal the whereabouts of the former Syrian leader and his family.
In another development, Deputy Minister Ryabkov said that Russia is definitely considering another prisoner exchange, similar to the exchange that took place in August involving a newspaper journalist. The Wall Street Journal Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan.
A new agreement would mark a positive step forward, especially at the beginning of a new administration in the US, according to Mr. Ryabkov.
The Moscow government has supported Syria since the first days of the Cold War, recognizing the country’s declaration of independence in 1944 when the Damascus government ended French domination.
On December 10, the opposition forces announced their decision to nominate Mr. Mohammad al-Bashir as leader of Syria’s interim government.
