News - Middle East: China's Special Envoy for the Middle East, Zhai Jun, has met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, as part of a new push to find a political solution for the long-running Syrian conflict.

Syria’s official SANA news agency reported that the Chinese envoy held talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad in the capital Damascus on Saturday, before meeting with Assad.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry had announced Zhai Jun’s planned visit to Damascus a day earlier.

The latest development comes almost a week after Moscow hosted a meeting of the defense ministers and intelligence chiefs of Russia, Syria, Turkey, and Iran as part of efforts to normalize relations between Ankara and Damascus.

Achieving lasting peace and security topped the agenda of the four-party talks. The participants reaffirmed their desire to preserve the territorial integrity of Syria and intensify efforts for the speedy return of Syrian refugees.