MOSCOW, August 16. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Defense Minister Colonel General Alexander Fomin and Syrian Defense Minister Ali Mahmoud Abbas held a meeting on the sidelines of the Army-2023 International Military-Technical Forum, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

"The parties discussed pressing issues related to bilateral military and technical cooperation. They also exchanged views on the situation in Syria and around Ukraine. The parties highlighted the need for the two countries to continue close cooperation in order to maintain stability in the Syrian Arab Republic," the statement reads.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the meeting, which took place in a friendly atmosphere, reaffirmed the two countries’ determination to further boost Russian-Syrian cooperation in the field of defense and the fight against terrorism.