Assad thanks Russia for being main partner in Aleppo

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday for having been Syria’s main partner in the retaking of Aleppo from rebel forces, and said the city’s fall had opened the door to a political process.

The two leaders spoke by phone and discussed the way forward for Syria after almost six years of war, according to a statement published by the office of the Syrian Presidency.