Syrian activists inspect the bodies of people they say were killed by nerve gas in the Ghouta region, in the Duma neighbourhood of Damascus August 21, 2013. Photo: Reuters

(VOVworld)- In a phone talk with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday discussed preparations for the Geneva 2 conference on Syria. Putin affirmed Russia’s commitment to the conference and praised President Assad’s readiness to participate. Putin expressed his satisfaction with the Syrian government’s cooperation with the joint mission of the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal. President Assad thanked the Russian government for helping Syria.