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Kremlin has not indicated whether or not it can conform to al-Sharaa’s repeated requests for Bashar al-Assad’s extradition.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is assembly Vladimir Putin in Moscow because the latter seeks to shore up Russia’s presence within the nation, together with militarily, simply over a 12 months after al-Sharaa ousted Russia’s former ally, Bashar al-Assad on the finish of 2024.
Talking at a press convention forward of their assembly on Wednesday, al-Sharaa thanked the Russian president for supporting unity in Syria, and what he stated was the “historic” function Russia had performed within the “stability of the area”.
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Putin expressed his help for al-Sharaa’s ongoing efforts to stabilise Syria and congratulated him on gaining momentum in direction of “restoring the territorial integrity of Syria”.
Putin and al-Sharaa spent greater than a decade on opposing sides of Syria’s civil battle, prompting issues in Moscow about the way forward for Russia’s navy presence there.
Forward of the talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, stated the “the presence of our troopers in Syria” can be mentioned, who’re stationed on the Hmeimim airbase and the Tartus naval base in Syria’s Mediterranean coastal area.
Earlier this week, Russia reportedly withdrew its forces from the Qamishli airport in Kurdish-held northeast Syria, leaving it with solely its two Mediterranean bases – now its solely navy outposts outdoors the previous Soviet Union.
Amberin Zaman, a correspondent with the Center East information outlet Al Monitor, revealed footage which she was stated was from the deserted base in Qamishli on Monday.
Syria had traditionally been one among Moscow’s closest regional allies with ties going again to the Chilly Conflict when the Soviet Union supplied in depth navy and different forms of help to the Baathist regime in Damascus.
Moscow had been apprehensive about the potential for an “populist anti-Russia” authorities rising in Damascus when Assad was overthrown, Samuel Ramani, an related fellow on the London-based RUSI thinktank instructed Al Jazeera.
“They feared he would squeeze them out, however the Russians have been pleasantly shocked, even when they’ve needed to downgrade their ties from earlier than,” Ramani added.
Pragmatic strategy
Al-Sharaa has additionally taken a realistic strategy, stated Ramani, as he has sought to construct his personal relations with extra-regional powers as a hedge in opposition to doable political swings within the US.
“The Republicans are lenient in direction of Syria participating Russia so long as they preserve Iran out,” Ramani stated, “whereas the Democrats have been extra sceptical general and have needed to maneuver slower on the removing of sanctions and different points.”
“Al-Sharaa additionally wants Russia, and that’s the reason he’s participating”, he stated.
Al-Sharaa performed down Russia’s function in Syria’s civil battle and sought to strike a friendlier tone throughout his first visit to Moscow in October, regardless of Russia offering refuge to Syria’s former President Bashar al-Assad and his spouse, who fled the nation as opposition fighters advanced towards Damascus in December 2024.
Al-Sharaa has requested al-Assad’s extradition and stated at an occasion final month that there can be justice for Syrians who have been victims of the previous president’s repression.
Putin will likely be particularly eager to keep up his nation’s presence in Syria, having misplaced one other ally this month, when the US despatched particular forces to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
On Tuesday, Russia’s defence minister Andrey Removich Belousov stated after a gathering together with his Chinese language counterpart that Moscow was intently monitoring the state of affairs in Venezuela and with Iran, which has shut ties with Russia and has been going through threats of a strike from the US in current weeks.
Syria’s new leaders have reorientated the nation’s international coverage away from Russia and have stated they’re in search of to construct a strategic relationship with the US, which has been reciprocated by the Trump administration.
The US appeared to not observe via with warnings to the Syrian authorities in opposition to participating the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces this month, however later helped dealer a truce which helped finish the fighting.
A fragile ceasefire is now in place and has been largely holding.
