Russia's top diplomat has met with Syria's new foreign minister for talks in Moscow during the first formal visit by a Syrian official since President Bashar Assad was ousted last year despite years o

Despite having been on opposite sides of the battle lines during the civil war, the new rulers in Damascus, headed by interim President Ahmed al-Sharra, have taken a pragmatic approach to relations with Moscow.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday promised reconstruction aid to Syria and extended an invitation to President Ahmed al-Sharaa to visit Moscow. "We expect President al-Sharaa to be able to attend the first Russia-Arab League summit,