MOSCOW: Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa said on Wednesday he wanted to "redefine" relations with Moscow as Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted him in Moscow, their first meeting since key Kremlin ally Bashar al Assad was ousted last year. In front of the television cameras, Putin greeted Sharaa warmly at the Kremlin, but behind closed doors the Syrian leader was expected to push for Moscow to extradite Assad, who fled to Moscow after being toppled.
The two were also expected to discuss the status of Russia's prized military bases in the country — the naval base in Tartus and air base at Hmeimim — the fate of which have been uncertain since the rebel takeover. Russia was a key ally of Assad during the bloody 14-year Syrian civil war, providing vital military support that kept his forces in power. But he was ousted from power last December in an offensive led by Sharaa's Islamist forces, fleeing to Russia, which has been sheltering him and his family for the past 10 months.
In remarks at the start of the meeting, Sharaa acknowledged the two countries' historic ties but said he wanted a recalibration, as he brings Damascus in from isolation on the world stage. "We are trying to restore and redefine in a new way the nature of these relations so there is independence for Syria, sovereign Syria, and also its territorial unity and integrity and its security stability," Sharaa told Putin. The Russian leader hailed "special relations" between the two countries that "have developed between our countries over many decades." Neither mentioned Assad or the Russian bases, the main sticking points in the relationship.
The Kremlin said before the talks that the fate of Russia's two main bases in Syria — the Hmeimim air base in Syria's Latakia province, and its naval facility at Tartous on the coast — would be discussed. Russia, which has economic and energy-related interests in Syria that it also wants to secure, has a military presence at Qamishli airport — in the northeast near the borders of Türkiye and Iraq.
Russian and Syrian officials discussed potential energy cooperation during a meeting in Moscow, including oil projects in Syria, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Wednesday. Novak said a shortage of oil was a major problem for Syria as it looks to rebuild its economy and infrastructure after years of conflict. "Russian companies have been working in Syrian oil fields for a long time. There are fields that require development, others that are mothballed, and new fields," Novak told reporters.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed earlier this week the ousted leader was still living in Moscow. "We have granted asylum to Bashar al Assad and his family for purely humanitarian reasons. He has no issues residing in our capital," Lavrov said at a forum on Monday. — Agencies
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