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| Russia 'ready to sell Syria arms' | |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| Moscow is ready to sell new weapons to Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said. | |
| Mr Lavrov said any sales of weapons of "a defensive character" would not change the strategic balance in the Middle East, without elaborating. | |
| His comments came as the Syrian and Russian leaders held talks in Russia. | |
| Before the talks in Sochi, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had spoken on the need to speed up military and technical co-operation with Russia. | |
| The two countries are preparing deals on anti-aircraft and anti-tank missile systems, reports say. | The two countries are preparing deals on anti-aircraft and anti-tank missile systems, reports say. |
| Israel and the US have been critical of Russian arms sales to Syria. | Israel and the US have been critical of Russian arms sales to Syria. |
| Syria was a close ally of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. | Syria was a close ally of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. |
| Support over Georgia | Support over Georgia |
| Relations between Moscow and Damascus have been getting closer recently - this visit is Mr Assad's third to Russia in three years. | Relations between Moscow and Damascus have been getting closer recently - this visit is Mr Assad's third to Russia in three years. |
| Mr Assad said on Thursday Russia's military campaign in Georgia was justified. | Mr Assad said on Thursday Russia's military campaign in Georgia was justified. |
| "I want to voice support for Russia over the situation around Abkhazia and South Ossetia... We understand the essence of the Russian position and consider its military reaction a response to provocation by the Georgian side," Mr Assad said according to the Russian news agency Itar-Tass. | "I want to voice support for Russia over the situation around Abkhazia and South Ossetia... We understand the essence of the Russian position and consider its military reaction a response to provocation by the Georgian side," Mr Assad said according to the Russian news agency Itar-Tass. |
| Russia has been strongly criticised by the West for its military operations in Georgia launched earlier this month. | Russia has been strongly criticised by the West for its military operations in Georgia launched earlier this month. |