Syria’s Sharaa to meet Putin in Moscow on Wednesday, state media says

DAMASCUS: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday (Oct 15), state news agency SANA reported, marking his first visit to Russia since the overthrow of Moscow’s longtime ally Bashar al-Assad last year.

The talks will focus on regional and international developments and on ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation, SANA said, citing the Syrian president’s media office.

FIRST VISIT SINCE ASSAD’S FALL

Pro-government Syria TV and a government source confirmed Sharaa’s visit, noting it will go ahead despite the postponement of a planned Arab summit in Moscow that the Syrian leader had been expected to attend.

Sharaa’s delegation will include the foreign minister and senior military and economic officials, according to the source.

MILITARY BASES AND EXTRADITION REQUEST

Discussions will also cover the status of Russia’s naval base in Tartous and its air base at Hmeimim, key outposts Moscow established during its intervention in Syria’s civil war in 2015.

The source said Sharaa will formally request the handover of Assad, who was granted asylum in Russia after being toppled by rebel forces last December, for trial over alleged crimes against Syrians.

REBUILDING TIES WITH MOSCOW

Sharaa, who led the insurgent coalition that seized Damascus and installed a new government, has sought to maintain pragmatic ties with Moscow despite its past support for Assad.

Russia, for its part, has tried to preserve influence in post-Assad Syria by offering diplomatic backing and condemning Israeli airstrikes on Syrian territory.

In July, Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani in Moscow, the first high-level meeting between the two governments since Assad’s ouster.