Damascus - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is scheduled to pay a two-day visit to Moscow on August 20, according to Syrian official sources.

Assad will meet with new Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to discuss bilateral relations and the Middle East peace process. He is also expected to meet with former president and current Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the sources said.

It will be the Syrian president's second visit to the Russian capital since January 2005. The visit comes ahead of French President Nicholas Sarkozy's visit to the Syrian capital Damascus which is set for September 3-4. (dpa)