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[JohnCenaFan28]

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.

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.

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.

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.

Russia has been strongly criticised by the West for its military operations in Georgia launched earlier this month.

BBC News

[Black Widow]

thanks for the news