(Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and supported his position regarding Ukraine, the Syrian presidency said in a statement on Friday.

       "During the call, they talked about the situation in Ukraine and the special military operation by the Russian Federation to protect the civilian population in the Donbass region," the statement said.

       "His Excellency (Assad) stressed that Syria stands with the Russian Federation, based on its conviction of the correctness of its position," it added.

       (Reporting by Kinda Makieh; writing by Mahmoud Mourad; Editing by Hugh Lawson)