MOSCOW, March 19. /TASS/. /TASS/. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu discussed in Damascus on Tuesday the situation in Idlib province and east of the Euphrates River, SANA news agency said.

It said "the sides saw eye to eye as to a need for joint work to search for suitable solutions to bring security and stability back into these two regions of Syria".

The Syrian leader said at talks that "military-political coordination with Russia at a high level has become one of the key factors that ensured the staunchness of the Syrian people and success in fight against the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist groups (both outlawed in Russia)".

"Some countries are fighting terrorists only in word, but in deed they align themselves with them, and continue covering them in some regions," Assad said. "This policy encourages an expansion of terrorism and results in a growing number of victims among the civilians," Assad said.

Earlier, the Defense Ministry said Shoigu visited Damascus on March 19 under instructions from President Vladimir Putin, bringing a message from the Russian president for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

It said that at talks with Assad, the Russian Defense Minister had discussed fight against terrorism in Syria, security for the Middle East and the post-conflict settlement. They also discussed the return of refugees and temporarily displaced persons to their homes in Syria, as well as humanitarian supplies.