OREANDA-NEWS  The Syrian ambassador to Moscow, Bashar Jafari, denied information about the request for asylum in Russia. This is reported by RIA Novosti.

"No, this news is absolutely not true. I am surprised where such a message came from," the diplomat said, answering the question whether he had actually applied for asylum to the Russian authorities.

Earlier, the TASS news agency, citing a source, reported that Syrian Ambassador to Moscow Bashar Jafari had requested asylum in Russia.

On April 8, the media relations coordinator at the Syrian Foreign Ministry, Abdullah Al-Hakim, said that the Syrian Foreign Ministry had decided to replace the ambassador in Moscow. According to him, the Foreign Ministry has decided to transfer the Syrian ambassadors in Moscow and Riyadh to the central office in Damascus.