Assad Believes Russia More Powerful Than USSR Due To Strength Of Mind - Russian Lawmaker

MAALOULA (Syria) (UrduPoint news / Sputnik - 19th January, 2019) Syrian President Bashar Assad believes that nowadays Russia is more powerful than the Soviet Union because of the greater strength of mind, Russian lawmaker Dmitry Sablin said on Friday after the meeting with Assad.

The Russian delegation is currently in Syria in order to sign a cooperation agreement between the cities of Sevastopol, located in Russia's Crimea, and Tartus. Sablin, who is a coordinator of the Russian State Duma's group on relations with the Syrian parliament, takes part in the visit.

"I would like to cite a conversation with the Syrian president.

He said that today Russia was much more powerful than the Soviet Union. I tried to debate saying that the [Russian] territory, economy and army were not so big [as in the Soviet Union]. Commenting on that, he said that the Russian had great strength of mind, greater than any other country," Sablin said, while visiting the Monastery of St. Takla in the town of Maaloula.

Russia is assisting Syria's struggle against terror groups as well as supporting the reconciliation process and providing civilians with humanitarian aid.