Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The two discussed thorny dossiers, while the tsar is trying to regain ground in the Middle East
Tests of détente between Moscow and Damascus. On Wednesday, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa traveled to Russia, where he met with Vladimir Putin. “There are bilateral relations and common interests that bind us to Russia, and we respect all agreements signed with it. We are working to redefine the nature of relations with Russia,” he declared, addressing the head of the Kremlin. “We have close relations with Russia and much of the energy sector in Syria depends on Russian expertise,” the Syrian leader added.
“In all these decades, we have always been guided by one thing: the interests of the Syrian people”, stated the Tsar, who also defined the overthrow of Bashar al Assad as a “great success and a step towards the consolidation of society”. In all of this, again on Wednesday, the Russian deputy prime minister, Alexander Novak, announced that Moscow intends to actively participate in the reconstruction of Syria. “Today we discussed specific projects in the energy, transport, tourism, healthcare and cultural and humanitarian sectors,” he said, before adding: “All this will be discussed in detail and we are ready to provide support and participate in the reconstruction of Syria.”
From what we learn, Sharaa and Putin should also have discussed some rather thorny dossiers: from the situation of the Russian bases in Syria to the request for Assad’s extradition. Precisely these two issues represent the main stumbling blocks in the current relations between Moscow and Damascus. The Assad regime has always been one of the Kremlin’s main Middle Eastern allies: which is why its fall last year dealt a severe blow to Russian influence on the Middle Eastern chessboard. Making matters worse for Putin was the fact that Sharaa was (and is) supported by Türkiye. This means that, while Moscow’s influence over the region has waned, Ankara’s has strengthened. This is demonstrated not only by the Syrian issue but also by the leading role that Recep Tayyip Erdogan played in the recent agreement between Israel and Hamas.
In light of all this, it is clear that the Kremlin is trying to get back into the game. Furthermore, it is within this framework that his attempt to improve relations with the new government in Damascus must be placed. Without forgetting that the Tsar also aims to carve out the role of mediator between Washington and Tehran on the delicate Iranian nuclear dossier. All this, without obviously neglecting that the relations between Moscow and Damascus also involve those between Moscow and Ankara. And then there’s Washington. It was last June when the Trump administration lifted sanctions on Syria. The White House also hopes that Damascus will sooner or later normalize its relations with Israel. For Putin, the stakes are, in short, particularly high. The tsar fears being cut off from the Abraham Accords system. And that’s why he’s trying to get back into the game.
