Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who was threatened with physical violence in his homeland, and his family members are in Russia exclusively for humanitarian reasons, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a meeting with journalists from Arab countries.
"Bashar al-Assad is staying with us for humanitarian reasons. He and his family were threatened with physical destruction. And for purely humanitarian reasons, we have granted asylum to Bashar al—Assad and his family," Lavrov said.
As stated by the Russian Foreign Minister, rumors that Assad was allegedly poisoned in Russia, do not correspond to reality.
"He [Assad] does not have any problems living in our capital. No poisoning occurred. If such rumors appear, I leave them on the conscience of those who spread them," he stressed.