Syria
© AFP 2015/ LOUAI BESHARA
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said thousands of terrorist are fleeing Syria now, and many refugees are coming back home, according to Russian Senator Dmitry Sablin who recently visited Syria with a delegation.

"Assad praised the actions of the Russian Aerospace Forces in Syria. He said thousands of terrorists are now fleeing Syria, and refugees are returning," Sablin said in an interview with the Russian newspaper Izvestia.

Recently, a group of Russian lawmakers visited Syria. During the trip, they met with President Assad and high-profile Syrian officials. A number of issues, including bilateral ties and the fight against terrorism, were on the agenda.

Sablin said he visited Syria in May and since then there have been a lot of changes.

"People in Syria are now discussing their future. They want to rebuild their country," he added.

"People are now walking safely through the streets of Damascus. There are fountains and restaurants open. Before Russia engaged it was terrifying to live there," the senator underscored.

He added that the Syrian government has a clear vision of how to resolve the crisis and normalize the situation in the country.

What is more, Russian companies will receive the most lucrative contracts to rebuild Syrian regions which have been damaged during the war, Assad said during the meeting.

The president said many French and Swiss companies are now seeking to ink contracts to rebuild Syrian provinces. But the Syrian government wants to offer the most lucrative deals to Russia.

The president explained some Syrian regions are ready to be rebuilt, and the government is ready to offer Russia "contracts worth of hundreds of billions of dollars," according to Sablin.