Reference News Network, January 29 report: According to the Russian newspaper "Arguments and Facts" website on January 28, Ahmed al-Sharaa, president of the Syrian transitional government, visited Moscow again just three months after his first visit. He had previously fought against the pro-Russian Bashar al-Assad government, yet Russia and Syria have now successfully established bilateral relations. Importantly, the Kremlin has retained a strategically significant military base.
The report pointed out that when Sharaa arrived in Moscow last October, he expressed the desire to restart Russian-Syrian relations. The friendly atmosphere of this recent meeting indicates that Moscow and Damascus have generally achieved this.
In the meeting between Putin and Sharaa, it was emphasized that Russia and Syria have never been enemies, even after the fall of the Assad government, and under Sharaa's efforts, bilateral relations have continued to develop.
Sharaa reiterated that Russia plays an important role in stabilizing Syria and the entire region. He said, "Mr. President, thank you very much for your efforts in this regard."
The context of this meeting is the withdrawal of Russian forces from a Syrian base. Boris Dolgov, senior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, stated that after coming to power, Sharaa also actively visited Western countries, which tried to persuade the Syrian leader to expel Russia, but he did not do so.
Clearly, Sharaa is unwilling to rely on any regional power and is committed to building a diversified relationship. Russia can offer him a lot, such as helping this war-torn country rebuild, providing essential goods like grain, and even military-technical cooperation. In other words, despite having fought against Russia before, Sharaa still has an interest in cooperating with Russia.
Dolgov said, "For Russia, it is important to retain the base. The naval supply point in Tartus is Russia's only naval base in the Mediterranean. The famous Hmeimim airbase in Latakia is an important transit hub for Russian operations in Africa. The withdrawal of Russian forces from the third base does not mean that the other two bases will no longer exist. The evacuated Kamyshli base was more like a supporting base from the beginning."
The expert emphasized that the cooperation between the two countries serves both sides' practical interests. Given the positive atmosphere of the meeting between the two leaders, it is expected that the main Russian military bases in Syria are currently not facing any threat. (Translated by He Yingjun)
Original: toutiao.com/article/7600762572732514843/
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