Syria said Wednesday a new government would take over next month from the interim cabinet formed following Bashar al-Assad’s overthrow, and announced a preparatory body for a national dialogue conference.

Syria foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shibani said on Wednesday that his country has been receiving positive messages from Russia and Iran.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with Syria's interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, the first direct communication between the two since Sharaa's forces overthrew Moscow's ally Bashar al-Assad in December.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has spoken to Syria’s new leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, the first such top-level contact since the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad

Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa and Russia’s Vladimir Putin held their first phone call on Wednesday, which comes at an uncertain time for the former allies.