Russia has despatched its first official delegation to Syria following the ousting of long-time ally Bashar Assad, Russian news businesses reported Tuesday.
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 Middle East following the autumn of Assad.
The Russian delegation attributable to meet the brand new management of the war-ravaged nation included Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who can also be Putin’s particular envoy on the Middle 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 first visit by Russian officials to Damascus” since Assad fled in December within the face of a lightning marketing campaign by an anti-regime alliance throughout the nation.
Moscow was one in all Assad’s key backers, intervening in Syria’s civil conflict in 2015 in his favor.
He and his household fled to Russia after his ouster by the primarily Turkish-backed forces.
Russia is now looking for 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 outdoors 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, Foreign 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 overseas ministry web site. Lavrentyev took half in earlier negotiations with Assad.
Al-Sharaa leads the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led the anti-regime offensive however is banned in Russia as a “terrorist” group.
RT Arabic reported that Bogdanov described the go to as geared toward strengthening historic ties primarily based on shared pursuits, and underlined Russia’s hopes for Syrian unity and independence.
Al-Sharaa in December famous the “deep strategic interests between Russia and Syria” in an interview with the Al-Arabiya TV channel.
“All Syria’s arms are of Russian origin, and many power plants are managed by Russian experts … We do not want Russia to leave Syria in the way that some wish,” he added.
Source: www.dailysabah.com