MOSCOW: The primary Russian official delegation to go to Syria because the toppling of long-term Moscow ally Bashar al-Assad has arrived in Damascus, Russian information businesses reported on Tuesday (Jan 28).
The go to comes with Moscow eager to safe the destiny of two army bases there and after Russian President Vladimir Putin denied that Moscow had suffered a strategic “defeat” within the Center East following the autumn of Assad.
The Russian delegation resulting from meet the brand new management of the war-ravaged nation included deputy international minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who can also be Putin’s particular envoy on the Center East and Africa, in addition to Alexander Lavrentyev, the president’s particular envoy on Syria, the RIA Novosti company reported.
It mentioned it was “the primary go to by Russian officers to Damascus” since Assad fled in December within the face of a lightning insurgent advance throughout the nation.
Moscow was certainly one of Assad’s key backers, intervening in Syria’s civil battle in 2015 in his favour.
He and his household fled to Russia after his ouster by Turkish-backed rebels previously affiliated with Al-Qaeda.
Russia is now in search of to safe the destiny of its naval base in Tartus and its air base at Khmeimim — each on Syria’s Mediterranean coast and Moscow’s solely army outposts exterior the previous Soviet Union — with the brand new Syrian authorities.
A report by RT Arabic, a Russian state-controlled channel, mentioned the delegation is about to fulfill Syria’s new chief Ahmed al-Sharaa, International Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and different officers.
Russia’s Bogdanov was a diplomat in Syria within the Nineteen Eighties and Nineties and speaks Arabic, in response to the international ministry web site. Lavrentyev took half in earlier negotiations with Assad.
Sharaa leads an Islamist group – Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – that’s banned in Russia as a “terrorist” organisation.
The organisation is rooted in Al-Qaeda’s Syria department however has extra just lately adopted a extra average tone.
RT Arabic reported that Bogdanov described the go to as aimed toward strengthening historic ties based mostly on shared pursuits, and underlined Russia’s hopes for Syrian unity and independence.
