MOSCOW, March 28. /TASS/. Syria’s sovereignty and unity are necessary to strengthen stability in the country and protect all ethnic and confessional groups there, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, emphasized in a phone call on Friday, according to the Kremlin.
As the two leaders "discussed the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic, they emphasized the importance of ensuring the country’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the need to render all possible assistance to its government and people with a view to enhancing political stability and observing the legitimate rights and interests of all ethnic and confessional groups there," the Kremlin said in its account of the conversation.
On March 6, clashes broke out in the provinces of Latakia, Tartus, and Homs between the security forces subordinate to the new Syrian authorities and supporters of ex-President Bashar al-Assad. The most intense shootings took place in the city of Jableh, where Alawites live, representatives of the religious minority, to which the Assad family belongs.