New Syrian leader wants close ties with Russia

Speaking of Moscow’s military bases in the country, Ahmed al-Sharaa has said Damascus has “strategic interests” with one of the world powers

The new Syrian authorities led by Islamists Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS) would like to remain on good terms with Russia, the country’s de facto leader Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa has said. Also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani, he suggested in an interview with broadcaster Al Arabiya on Sunday that his government would not necessarily be seeking the withdrawal of Moscow’s military installations from the country.

After the militant groups in Syria took control of Damascus and forced former President Bashar Assad to resign, the fate of Russian troops stationed in Syria at Khmeimim and Tartus bases came into question. Moscow operates the Khmeimim Air Base and a logistics support center in Tartus, both situated in the country’s Mediterranean coast. In 2017, Russia and Syria agreed to station Moscow’s troops there for 49 years.

Syria has “strategic interests” in maintaining good relations with the “second most powerful country in the world,” al-Sharaa said. 

“We don’t want Russia to exit Syria in a way that would not be befitting for its long-standing relations” with the Middle Eastern nation, the HTS chief emphasized. According to al-Sharaa, the new authorities in Damascus want to avoid conflicts with foreign powers.

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Earlier this month, he similarly told reporters that the “Syrian leadership was keen to avoid provoking Russia,” and was willing to give Moscow the “opportunity to re-evaluate the relationship with Syria in a way that serves common interests”.

Speaking to RIA Novosti on Sunday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that the accords stipulating the presence of Russian military personnel in Syria were “valid” and had been “concluded under the norms of international law.”

The diplomat clarified that Russia was prepared to discuss the future of its military installations with the new authorities in Damascus once the declared transition period, which runs until March 1, has expired.

Earlier this month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow is maintaining “contact with the representatives of the forces in charge of the situation in [Syria], and everything will be decided through dialogue.”

Around the same time, TASS reported, citing anonymous sources, that Moscow had “secured temporary security guarantees, so the military bases are operating as usual.”

Several armed opposition groups, spearheaded by HTS, launched a sudden offensive in late November. This operation saw them swiftly capture vast territories across Syria in a matter of days, culminating in the dramatic seizure of the capital, Damascus. The speed and scale of their advance stunned both regional and international observers, leaving the Syrian government in disarray. Assad was forced to relinquish his position and flee the country, ultimately seeking asylum in Russia.