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Putin also introduced Assad to senior officials of the country's Defense Ministry and the general staff, people who he said \"played a decisive role in saving Syria,\" according to the Kremlin's statement.

\"Much has been done to stabilize the situation in Syria. I hope that in the very near future we will put the final point in the fight against terrorism in Syria, although it is clear that the centers will still exist, they will still emerge,\" Putin said. \"So there are still problems with terrorism in the world, and in the Middle East, and in Syria in particular.\"

\"PHOTO:
Twitter/ @Presidency_Sy
PHOTO: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with Russia's Vladimir Putin in Sochi on Monday.
>

\"But the main task is already close to completion, and it will be possible to say in the very near future that we have solved it,\" he added.

Putin said he planned to follow up the meeting with telephone calls to President Donald Trump, and to Middle Eastern leaders including the Emir of Qatar.

The two leaders last met on Oct. 20, 2015 in Moscow after Russia launched a military operation against Syrian insurgents and ISIS.

The conflict in Syria began in 2011 after the government cracked down violently on mostly peaceful protests against Assad's rule. The protests developed into an armed uprising and a civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions.

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