Syria’s top diplomat met with Russian officials on Thursday on the first visit to Moscow by a member of the new government in Damascus since former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was ousted in a rebel offensive last year despite years of Russian support.
Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani in the Kremlin, according to Syrian news agency SANA, a meeting that underlined the Kremlin’s desire to establish working ties with the country’s new leadership.
Before the talks with Putin, Shaibani met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who emphasized that the Russian authorities “sincerely wish that the Syrian people, with whom we have long-standing friendship, overcome all existing challenges and completely normalize the situation.” Shaibani responded that Syria was interested in ties with Russia and having Russia “by our side.”
Assad was an ally of Russia, and Moscow’s scorched-earth intervention in support of him a decade ago turned the tide of Syria’s civil war and kept Assad in his seat until his swift demise in December. Russia, which has focused on the fighting in Ukraine and kept only a small military contingent in Syria, didn’t try to counter the rebel offensive but sheltered Assad after he fled the country.
Without naming Assad, Shaibani called on Russia to support the country’s post-Assad “transitional justice” process and said Syria has formed a committee to review past agreements with Russia.
Despite having been on opposite sides of the battle lines during the civil war, the new rulers in Damascus, headed by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, have taken a pragmatic approach to relations with Moscow.
Lavrov said Moscow would like Sharaa to attend a summit between Russia and Arab League member states in Moscow in October.
“Of course, we hope that President al-Sharaa will be able to take part in the first Russia-Arab League summit, which is scheduled for October 15,” Lavrov said.
A Russian delegation visited Damascus in January, and the following month, Putin had a call with Sharaa that the Kremlin described as “constructive and business-like.” Russia has retained a presence at its air and naval bases on the Syrian coast, and the Kremlin has voiced hope for negotiating a deal to keep the outposts.
Syria’s Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra accompanied Shaibani on his visit to Moscow and met his Russian counterpart Andrei Belousov. They discussed “cooperation between defense ministries and the situation in the Middle East,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Speaking to reporters after the talks on Thursday, Lavrov thanked “Syrian colleagues for the steps they’re taking to ensure the safety of Russian citizens and Russian facilities” in Syria.
“We reaffirmed our support for the preservation of the unity, territorial integrity and independence of the Syrian Arab Republic and are ready to provide the Syrian people with all possible assistance in post-conflict reconstruction. We agreed that we will continue our dialogue on these issues,” Lavrov said.
Sharaa has thanked Russia for its “strong position in rejecting Israeli strikes and repeated violations of Syrian sovereignty” after Israel intervened in clashes between Syrian government forces and armed groups from the Druze religious minority earlier this month.
Shaibani on Thursday criticized Israel’s “interference in internal affairs” and said it complicates efforts to resolve conflicts between different communities in Syria.
Israel said its airstrikes were necessary to prevent the mass killing of Druze by government forces.
“Many countries want stability and security in Syria, but there are some that want a weak and divided Syria, that want to prove that the government is unable to protect the minorities or that there are internal problems,” he said.
He added that Syria’s new government has “said since day one that we have no hostile intentions toward Israel. We pose no threat to Israel. Syria just wants to rebuild itself. We are tired of the war over the past 14 years.”