Interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Shareh said in Moscow today that he wants to "redefine relations between Damascus and Moscow," during his first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin since the December ouster of Bashar al-Assad, of whom Russia was one of his main allies.
"We are trying to renew and redefine the new nature of these relations so that Syria can enjoy its independence, sovereignty, as well as its territorial integrity, its security and stability," Ahmad al-Shareh said during a televised meeting with Putin in the Kremlin.
The Syrian president also highlighted the "old historical ties" and "common interests" between the two countries.
He cited the fact that part of the Syrians' food supply depends on Russian production and that numerous Syrian power plants depend on Russian expertise.
Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed his guest to the Kremlin, hailing the "deep ties that unite Russia and Syria" and expressing hope for expanding those ties. The meeting underscores Russia's desire to establish functional ties with Syria's new leadership and provide a military foothold in the country, the AP reports.
"Throughout all these decades, we have always been guided by only one thing: the interests of the Syrian people. We really have very deep ties with the Syrian people," Putin said.
Assad was an ally of Russia, and Russia's intervention to support him a decade ago turned the tide of the Syrian war, keeping Assad in power until his swift removal in December 2024.
Russia, which focused on the fighting in Ukraine and maintained only a small military contingent in Syria, did not attempt to counter the rebel offensive but granted Assad asylum when he fled the country.
A Syrian government official who did not want to be named told Agence France-Presse that during this first meeting with Putin, the Syrian president will ask Moscow to extradite ousted leader Bashar al-Assad, who is in the Russian capital.
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During the visit, the Syrian president is also expected to discuss issues related to investments, what will happen to Russian bases in Syria, and the rearmament of the Syrian army, the same government source said.
The Tartus naval base and the Hmeimim air base, located on Syria's Mediterranean coast, are the only official Russian military outposts outside the former Soviet Union.
Moscow made extensive use of these bases during its 2015 intervention in the Syrian civil war, when it supported Bashar al-Assad and bombed rebel-held areas, writes Agence France-Presse.
Although they were on opposing sides during the civil war, the new rulers in Damascus took a pragmatic approach in relations with Moscow.
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