President Dmitry Medvedev arrived yesterday on the first visit by a Russian head of state to Syria, eyeing a revival of the once thriving partnership between the Soviet-era allies.

The streets of the Syrian capital were festooned with Russian flags for the landmark two-day visit.

Mr Medvedev, who is accompanied by a high-powered delegation focused on the military, said before leaving Moscow that Russia and Syria should develop ties and described Damascus as a key political player in the Middle East.

"We need to speed up multi-dimensional political dialogue," he said in an article for the Syrian daily Al-Watan released by the Kremlin late on Sunday. He called Damascus "one of the most important political centres of the Middle East" and urged the two countries to develop economic ties, particularly in the hi-tech sector.

Mr Medvedev's meeting with President Bashar al-Assad yesterday is being followed by a full programme of talks today.

Russia seeks to promote itself as a major power in the Middle East and wants to revive ties with old allies with whom relations weakened after the 1991 disintegration of the Soviet Union.