Syrian parents are naming their children after the Russian President as a sign of gratitude, while millions of students, including Bashar Assad’s own children, are learning Russian, Syria’s Ambassador to Moscow Riad Haddad said.
“Thanks to the efforts of the Moscow embassy, and with the approval of President Assad, Russian is the second language taught in Syrian schools. We have opened Russian faculties in all of the country’s universities, while children receive tuition from the seventh grade,” said the official, addressing Russia’s upper chamber of parliament, the Federation Council, in Moscow.
Russian was first put on the curriculum in government-controlled schools in 2014, and has been prioritized since then.
“Making Russian a second language in the country is a gesture of gratitude to the Russian people from Syria,” said Haddad, who has been in his post since the Syrian conflict broke out in 2011.
“Many families have even named their sons Putin. And it is no secret that the President’s own children are learning Russian,” said the official.
rt.com
