The Russian Government, on Friday, sent a congratulatory message to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad on his reported reelection for a fourth time.
Assad has been in power since the year 2,000.
Syria’s parliamentary speaker had announced on Thursday that Assad scored 95.1 percent of total votes cast during Wednesday’s presidential election.
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Reacting, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, in a statement published on the government’s website, described Assad’s victory as proof of his positive leadership.
“The voting results fully confirmed your high political authority, the confidence of your fellow citizens in the course under your leadership to stabilize the situation in Syria as soon as possible and strengthen its state institutions,” he said.
As a major ally of Syria, Putin promised to keep helping the regime to boost its capability to contain internal and external aggression.
“The Russian side intends to continue to provide all-round support to the Syrian partners in the fight against the forces of terrorism and extremism, as well as in advancing the process of political settlement and post-conflict reconstruction of the country,” said Putin.
But the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Italy have accused Assad and his associates and allies of staging the poll, adding that there was no credible election in the country.
AFP reports that Syria has suffered from, “a decade-long civil conflict that has killed more than 388,000 people, displaced millions and battered the country’s infrastructure.”
The country shares borders with Lebanon and Israel (Southwest), Turkey (North), Iraq (East), Jordan (South).