Syria and Russia have agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation on economic and energy-related areas at a meeting between President Bashar-AL-Assad and his visiting Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev in Damascus.<br/><br/>Addressing a joint news conference with Medvedev in Damascus, President Assad said visit of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to Syria reflects the extent to which the relations between Syria and Russia have reached over the past decades. <br/><br/>According to Syria’s official news agency SANA, President Asad added that Syria plays an important role in the Middle East and Russia is an important country due to its geo-political position as a country that connects between the East and the West.<br/><br/>The talks between two leaders centered on oil and gas and covered a range of associated areas like exploration, refineries, transportation and electric power stations as well as infrastructure and air transport.<br/><br/>Diplomatic circles attach considerable significance to Medvedev's visit, which is seen as an attempt to de-escalate heightened tensions between Syria and Israel after Tel Aviv accused Damascus of providing ballistic missiles to Lebanese group Hezbollah.<br/><br/>Medvedev arrived in Damascus yesterday after talks with Israeli President Shimon Peres in Moscow. He is scheduled to leave for Ankara where he is expected to hold talks with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan besides participating in a joint Russian-Turkish business forum meeting.