Prior to Merkel's meeting with Putin, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad also visited Sochi. During their meeting, Putin told Assad that Russia expects all 'foreign armed forces' to leave Syria. CGTN's Alaa Ebrahim reports from Damascus.  

ALAA EBRAHIM DAMASCUS "The 'foreign forces' in Syria include US, French, Iranian and Hezbollah fighters. On a surprise visit to Russia, the Syrian and Russian presidents said their departure would mark the beginning of, quote: a 'political process' in Syria. That doesn't mean an end to the fighting. The quotes published by the Syrian state news agency, SANA, also refer to an ongoing 'fight against terrorism'. The meeting between Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin in Sochi Friday seemed to be setting the stage for a new phase in Syria's seven-year-old civil war though not one free of conflict. SANA also quoted president Assad saying his government: 'supports the political process that goes hand in hand with combating terrorism'. SANA said that Damascus will send names of Syrian officials who will join a UN-sponsored committee to draft a new Syrian constitution. Some analysts view this as a possible starting point for a long-awaited political solution in Syria. The debate over Iran's role in Syria after the war and the degree of Tehran's influence is likely to remain a key issue, with so many conflicting agendas in Syria. Sources close to the Syrian government say Iranian military advisors are in Syria at the invitation of the Assad government and will only leave when Damascus asks them to do so. Alaa Ebrahim, CGTN, Damascus."