Syria's Assad says he wants to expand Russian investments to help offset US sanctions

Syrian President Bashar al Assad said on Monday he was keen to expand economic and business deals with Moscow, his closest ally, to help Syria weather crippling economic sanctions.

Assad, who gave the comments during a meeting in Damascus with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, said he wanted to see Russian investments in key areas of the economy that had been agreed in the past succeed.