Syria’s interim President, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has held his first talks with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow since ousting Russia’s ally Bashar al-Assad 10 months in the past.
Putin spoke of the “particular relationship” between each international locations.
Sharaa instructed he would proceed to permit Russia entry to its navy bases in Syria.
He was additionally anticipated to ask for the extradition of Assad, who was granted asylum after fleeing to Moscow.
For years they have been enemies, on opposing sides of a bloody civil warfare.
Putin used brutal navy pressure to prop up Bashar al-Assad. And Sharaa’s armed Islamist group led the insurgent offensive that finally compelled Assad from energy.
However on Wednesday, the Russian and Syrian leaders sat down collectively for the primary time, placing pragmatism forward of previous enmity.
“Over the previous many years, our international locations have constructed a particular relationship,” Putin mentioned.
He added that there have been “fairly a number of fascinating and helpful undertakings” on the agenda of their talks, and that Russia stood able to “do every part to fulfil them”.
Sharaa mentioned he needed Syria to re-establish its relations with all international locations, however “mainly with Russia”.
“We are attempting to revive and redefine in a brand new method the character of those relations so there may be independence for Syria, sovereign Syria, and in addition its territorial unity and integrity and its safety stability.”
They have been heat phrases from two males looking for a superb working relationship.
Russia desires continued entry to its Tartous naval port and Hmeimim navy airbase on Syria’s Mediterranean coast.
Sharaa instructed he would enable this, saying Syria would “respect all agreements concluded all through the good historical past” of their bilateral relations.
In flip, he desires assist to consolidate his energy in Syria, safe its borders and rescue a parlous economic system with entry to Russian power and funding.
Russian ministers mentioned they have been able to ship foodstuffs and drugs to Syria, and to assist restore broken energy and transport infrastructure.
However amid the grins, tensions stay.
Syrian sources mentioned Sharaa would ask for Assad to be extradited so the exiled chief might face trial for warfare crimes. It’s thought unlikely Russia would agree.
On Monday, International Minister Sergei Lavrov informed reporters that Russia had granted asylum to Assad as a result of he and his household had “confronted the danger of bodily elimination”.
