RT-Engels: 29-12-2024,
Speaking of Moscow’s military bases in the country, Ahmed al-Sharaa has said Damascus has “strategic interests” with one of the world powers
The new Syrian authorities led by Islamists Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS) would like to remain on good terms with Russia, the country’s de facto leader Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa has said. Also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani, he suggested in an interview with broadcaster Al Arabiya on Sunday that his government would not necessarily be seeking the withdrawal of Moscow’s military installations from the country.
After the militant groups in Syria took control of Damascus and forced former President Bashar Assad to resign, the fate of Russian troops stationed in Syria at Khmeimim and Tartus bases came into question. Moscow operates the Khmeimim Air Base and a logistics support center in Tartus, both situated in the country’s Mediterranean coast. In 2017, Russia and Syria agreed to station Moscow’s troops there for 49 years.
Syria has “strategic interests” in maintaining good relations with the “second most powerful country in the world,” al-Sharaa said.
“We don’t want Russia to exit Syria in a way that would not be befitting for its long-standing relations” with the Middle Eastern nation, the HTS chief emphasized. According to al-Sharaa, the new authorities in Damascus want to avoid conflicts with foreign powers.
Earlier this month, he similarly told reporters that the “Syrian leadership was keen to avoid provoking Russia,” and was willing to give Moscow the “opportunity to re-evaluate the relationship with Syria in a way that serves common interests”.