New Syria leaders discuss 'justice' for Assad's victims with Russian delegation
DAMASCUS
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(FILES) Syrian fighters watch Russian armoured vehicles driving past near the Hmeimim Air Base, a Syrian airbase currently operated by Russia, in the town of Hmeimim, southeast of Latakia, Syria, Dec. 16, 2024.
Syria's new leaders said Wednesday they had discussed "transitional justice" with the first Russian official delegation to visit Damascus since the toppling of long-term Moscow ally Bashar al-Assad.
The visit came with Russia keen to secure the fate of two military bases in Syria and after Russian President Vladimir Putin denied that Moscow had suffered a strategic "defeat" in the Middle East following Assad's ouster.
"The new administration... stressed that restoring relations must address past mistakes, respect the will of the Syrian people and serve their interests," Syria's new government said in a statement.
The talks aimed to deliver "justice for the victims of the brutal war waged by the Assad regime", it added.
The Russian delegation included deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who is also Putin's special envoy on the Middle East and Africa, as well as Alexander Lavrentyev, the president's special envoy on Syria, Russia's RIA Novosti agency reported Tuesday.
It said it was "the first visit by Russian officials to Damascus" since Assad fled in December in the face of a lightning rebel advance across the country.
Moscow was one of Assad's key backers, intervening in Syria's civil war in 2015 in his favour.
Assad and his family fled to Russia after being overthrown by Turkish-backed rebels formerly affiliated with Al-Qaeda.
Russia is now seeking to secure the fate of its naval base in Tartus and its air base at Khmeimim — both on Syria's Mediterranean coast and Moscow's only military outposts outside the former Soviet Union — with the new Syrian authorities.
A report by RT Arabic, a Russian state-controlled channel, said the delegation would meet Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and other officials.
Sharaa leads an Islamist group — Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) — that is banned in Russia as a "terrorist" organisation.
The organisation is rooted in Al-Qaeda's Syria branch but has more recently adopted a more moderate tone.
RT Arabic reported that Bogdanov described the visit as aimed at strengthening historic ties based on shared interests, and underlined Russia's hopes for Syrian unity and independence.
'Deep strategic interests'
Sharaa in December noted the "deep strategic interests between Russia and Syria" in an interview with the Al-Arabiya TV channel.
"All Syria's arms are of Russian origin, and many power plants are managed by Russian experts... We do not want Russia to leave Syria in the way that some wish," Sharaa added.
Ukrainian diplomats visited Syria's new rulers in December, with Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga urging Sharaa to expel Russia from the country.
"We believe that from a strategic point of view, the removal of Russia's presence in Syria will contribute to the stability of not only the Syrian state, but the entire Middle East and Africa," Sybiga told Sharaa while in Damascus, according to a statement.
The Russian delegation's visit comes amid a flurry of diplomatic activity by the new rulers, aimed at building ties and easing sanctions.
EU foreign ministers on Monday agreed to begin easing sanctions on Syria starting with key sectors such as energy.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday stressed the importance of "ensuring that the new government prevents Syria from becoming a source for international terrorism" and "denying foreign malign actors the opportunity to exploit Syria's transition".
Saudi Arabia's top diplomat, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, was received by Sharaa on Friday, making his first visit since Assad's overthrow.