Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is Russia: Georgia troop withdrawal to begin Monday ...
Syria, Lebanon in landmark agreement to establish diplomatic ties ...
IAEA team to visit Syria ... holding talks with his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in Russia.
Before starting his visit, Mr Assad said the speeding up of military and technical co-operation would top the agenda of the talks.
The two countries are preparing deals on anti-aircraft and anti-tank missile systems, reports say.
Israel and the US have been critical of Russian arms sales to Syria.
Syria was a close ally of the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Support over Georgia
Relations between Moscow and Damascus have been getting closer recently - this visit is Mr Assad's third to Russia in three years.
Mr Assad said on Thursday Russia's military campaign in Georgia was justified.
"I want to voice support for Russia over the situation around Abkhazia and South Ossetia... We understand the essence of the Russian position and consider its military reaction a response to provocation by the Georgian side," Mr Assad said according to the Russian news agency Itar-Tass.
Russia has been strongly criticised by the West for its military operations in Georgia launched earlier this month.
(BBC)
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