Russia: No Plan To Grant Al Assad Asylum – Foreign Minister

The rumor that Russia will grant asylum to Syrian President Bashar al Assad is a misunderstanding of Russia's position or is an attempt to mislead people dealing with foreign policy, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said July 5, Reuters reported. The issue was raised first in June during a meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Lavrov said, adding that Merkel raised it. He said he was very surprised to hear foreign colleagues were convinced Russia would take al Assad.