DAMASCUS, March 26 -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Thursday that his administration welcomes any Russian expansion in the region, according to Russia Today TV.

The Russian presence in the region is important to Syria, Assad told a number of Russian media outlets.

He added that the role Russia is playing in the region serves the stability and security of the world.

The president said that the Russian presence in the eastern part of the Mediterranean, mainly in the port of Syria's coastal city of Tartus, aims to create a balance in the world after the defragmentation of the Soviet Union.

The TV report said the full interview with Assad is to be aired on Friday.

The Syrian port of Tartus hosts a Russian naval base since the times of the Soviet Union. Moscow has emerged as the main international ally to the Syrian government throughout the four-year-old conflict.