MOSCOW, November 16 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has ordered the health ministry to send medical aid to Syria to deal with the country’s “difficult health situation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Saturday.
Putin announced the decision after a phone conversation with his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad on Thursday, requested by the Russian side. The leaders discussed anticipated peace talks and the process of dismantling the war-torn nation’s chemical arsenal.
Russia’s medical aid will include medicines and medical materials, as well as first aid treatment packages, Peskov said.
Civil war has been raging in Syria since early 2011 with estimates putting the death toll at more than 100,000.
