Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's office has released on social media what is believed to be his first statement since he was ousted earlier this month.

The statement, dated December 16 from Moscow, says questions arose about his fate and whereabouts when terrorism "ultimately reached Damascus on the evening of Saturday 7th December 2024."

"This occurred amidst a flood of misinformation and narratives far removed from the truth, aimed at recasting international terrorism as a liberation revolution for Syria," it says.

Assad's departure from Syria was "neither planned nor did it occur during the final hours of the battles." The statement reads, "On the contrary, I remained in Damascus, carrying out my duties until the early hours of Sunday 8th December 2024."

The statement also touches on Assad's departure from Syria.

He went to a Russian military base in Latakia to "oversee combat operations." The statement continues, "Upon arrival at the Hmeimim airbase that morning, it became clear that our forces had completely withdrawn from all battle lines and that the last army positions had fallen."

The statement says that "as the field situation in the area continued to deteriorate, the Russian military base itself came under intensified attack by drone strikes... With no viable means of leaving the base, Moscow requested that the base's command arrange an immediate evacuation to Russia on the evening of Sunday 8th December."

The statement adds that "at no point during these events did I consider stepping down or seeking refuge, nor was such a proposal made by any individual or party... The only course of action was to continue fighting against the terrorist onslaught."

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters on Monday that she instructed a European diplomat in Syria to go to Damascus to make contact with an interim government.

Kallas said the bloc's engagement with the interim government -- which is led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the EU -- would be discussed at a meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday.