Syria’s Bashar al-Assad hails Russia’s takeover of Crimea

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that Russia’s military takeover of Crimea was indicative of President Vladimir Putin’s “wise policy” and his efforts to restore “security and stability” in Ukraine after an “attempted coup.”

In a letter addressed to the Russian president, Assad said that Putin’s military incursion in eastern Ukraine stopped “terrorist extremists” from taking power in Kiev, the Associated Press reported.

Assad’s comments mark the first time that he has spoken on the crisis, and were carried by the Syrian state news agency late on Thursday.

Russia long supported Assad through the three-year conflict that has killed around 140,000.