7 months ago
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Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa [Muhammad al-Jolani] said connected Wednesday helium wanted to "redefine" relations with Moscow arsenic Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted him successful Moscow, their archetypal gathering since cardinal Kremlin state Bashar al-Assad was ousted past year.
In beforehand of the tv cameras, Mr. Putin greeted Mr. Sharaa warmly astatine the Kremlin, but down closed doors, the Syrian person was expected to propulsion for Moscow to extradite Mr. Assad, who fled to Moscow aft being toppled.
The 2 were besides expected to sermon the presumption of Russia's prized subject bases successful the state — the naval basal successful Tartus and aerial basal astatine Hmeimim — the destiny of which person been uncertain since the rebel takeover.
Russia was a cardinal state of Assad during the bloody 14-year Syrian civilian war, providing captious subject enactment that kept his forces successful power.
But helium was ousted from powerfulness past December successful an violative led by Mr. Sharaa's Islamist forces, fleeing to Russia, which has been sheltering him and his household for the past 10 months.
In remarks astatine the commencement of the meeting, Mr. Sharaa acknowledged the 2 countries' historical ties but said helium wanted a recalibration, arsenic helium brings Damascus successful from isolation connected the satellite stage.
"We are trying to reconstruct and redefine successful a caller mode the quality of these relations truthful determination is independency for Syria, sovereign Syria, and besides its territorial unity and integrity and its information stability," Mr. Sharaa told Mr. Putin.
The Russian person hailed "special relations" betwixt the 2 countries that "have developed betwixt our countries implicit galore decades."
Neither mentioned Mr. Assad oregon the Russian bases, the main sticking points successful the relationship.
Assad asylum
A Syrian authorities authoritative told AFP earlier the gathering that Sharaa would petition Putin manus implicit Assad, who Russia says it is protecting connected "humanitarian grounds."
The official, who requested anonymity arsenic they were not allowed to little the media, told AFP: "Sharaa volition inquire the Russian president to manus implicit each individuals who committed warfare crimes and are successful Russia, astir notably Bashar al-Assad."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed earlier this week the ousted person was inactive surviving successful Moscow.
"We person granted asylum to Bashar al-Assad and his household for purely humanitarian reasons. He has nary issues residing successful our capital," Lavrov said astatine a forum connected Monday.
Russia's subject enactment for Assad helped crook the tide of the Syrian civilian warfare successful his favour erstwhile it started intervening successful 2015.
Russian warplanes rained aerial strikes connected rebel-held areas of Syria including the northwest Idlib region, which was mostly controlled by Sharaa's Islamist radical Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) successful the aboriginal years of the conflict.
During a authorities violative launched successful precocious 2019 to retake parts of the province, Moscow carried retired hundreds of aerial strikes connected the rebel bastion, causing casualties and wide destruction, including to civilian infrastructure specified arsenic schools, hospitals, marketplaces and residential areas.
Moscow besides sponsored alleged reconciliation deals betwixt authorities forces and absorption factions successful respective parts of Syria that resulted successful the evacuation of tens of thousands of civilians and fighters to Idlib.
Opposition faction Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), of which Sharaa was a leader, was not 1 of them.
During the Syrian civilian warfare successful 2020, Russia placed HTS connected its database of recognised "terrorists".
