The new Syrian government is demanding that Russia extradite former leader Bashar Assad, whose regime was overthrown in December last year.
This was reported by Reuters, citing Syrian sources.
The Russian delegation, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, emphasized after talks in Syria on January 28 that "the restoration of relations must eliminate the mistakes of the past, respect the will of the Syrian people, and serve their interests".
But the Russians were not ready to admit mistakes, so continuing negotiations was the only thing they could come to with the new Syrian government, writes Reuters.
The Syrian news agency Sana said Damascus also wants Russia, which supported Assad during the countryʼs civil war, to restore trust through "concrete measures such as compensation, reconstruction and recovery". Bloomberg also reported this, but did not specify what compensation was in question.
This was preceded by information that Russiaʼs negotiations with the new Syrian government on the preservation of Russian naval bases in the country had reached an impasse.
Before the talks, the Kremlin had been optimistic that it could convince Hayat Tahrir al-Sham to allow it to remain at the bases. However, Turkey opposes Moscow’s continued military presence in Syria. There are also doubts that the new Syrian government will allow Russia to remain at the bases after Russian warplanes attacked opposition forces during the country’s civil war.
Russiaʼs military bases in Syria include the naval port of Tartus and the airfield at Khmeimim, which have given Moscow influence in the Middle East and Africa. Losing these facilities would be a strategic setback for Russia as it continues to escalate its conflict with the United States and its European allies.
In addition, the naval port at Tartus is Russiaʼs only port in the Mediterranean, and Khmeimim is a major supply base for the Kremlinʼs operations in many parts of Africa.
The overthrow of the Assad regime in Syria
The Syrian opposition entered the Syrian capital, Damascus, on December 8, 2024, and overthrew the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, who had been in power for 24 years. Assad himself fled to Moscow.
Syrian rebels are forming a transitional government — it is headed by Muhammad Bashir, who led the "Salvation Government" — a political structure created in 2017 in territories controlled by the Syrian opposition, primarily in the province of Idlib.
The leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group and de facto leader of Syria, Ahmad al-Sharaa (better known as Muhammad al-Julani), has said that the country is exhausted by war and poses no threat to its neighbors or the West. He is calling for the lifting of international sanctions on Syria, as they were imposed against the already overthrown regime of Bashar al-Assad.
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