Damascus hails Russia's military operations in Syria

Syria on Sunday praised Russia as a "serious and credible" player in fighting terrorism, state news agency SANA reported.

The Russian aerial military operations in Syria have proven its seriousness and credibility in fighting terrorism, the Syria's foreign ministry said, commenting on the first anniversary of the Russian military intervention in support of the Syrian government against five years of insurgency.

"The Russian military support in Syria has led to tightening noose on the terrorist groups and prevented them from expanding to other countries," the ministry said.

It said the "strategic" relation between Moscow and Damascus is not just confined to the military support, which also coordinates in reaching a political solution to the country's long-running conflict.

The ministry concluded by expressing gratitude to Russia for "standing by Syria on the military, political and economic levels and helping Syria to regain security and stability."

The Kremlin said on Friday that the Russian military support played a role in preventing Damascus falling into rebels' hands, noting that there is no time-frame for the Russian military intervention.

"Syria is subject to an aggression targeting its unity and its presence as a unified state. There are many foreign attempts to divide it," Syrian Information Minister Muhammad Ramez Turjman said. Endit