Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani has articulated his nation’s wish for Russia to continue being “by our side,” during the inaugural official visit to Moscow by a representative of Syria’s new government since the ousting of the Russian-backed administration last year.
“The present period is rife with various challenges and threats, yet it also presents an opportunity to construct a united and robust Syria. Naturally, we are keen on having Russia alongside us on this journey,” Aljazeera reported al-Shaibani as stating to his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Thursday during his visit to Moscow.
“However, there are indeed several factors that influence and complicate these relations on the ground,” al-Shaibani remarked, emphasizing that the relations ought to be founded on “mutual respect.”
Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who was a significant ally of Russia, fled to Moscow last year after a rapid rebel offensive concluded the Assad family’s five-decade reign.
From his exile, Assad asserted on Facebook that he had wished to remain and fight, but claimed that Russia evacuated him.
Despite being on opposing sides during the civil war — with Russia supporting Assad through airstrikes against the opposition — the new government in Damascus, under interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, has taken a pragmatic approach towards Moscow.
A Russian delegation visited Damascus in January, followed by a February conversation between President Vladimir Putin and al-Sharaa, which the Kremlin described as “constructive and business-like.”
Some Russian forces have stayed at Russia’s bases along the Syrian coast, and it has been reported that Russia has sent oil shipments to Syria.
Al-Sharaa also commended Russia for its “strong position in rejecting Israeli strikes and repeated violations of Syrian sovereignty,” following deadly confrontations earlier this month involving Syrian government forces, Bedouin fighters, and armed Druze groups, which resulted in over 250 fatalities.
Following the discussions on Thursday, Lavrov conveyed his appreciation to his “Syrian colleagues for the measures they are implementing to guarantee the safety of Russian citizens and facilities” in Syria.
“We reaffirmed our commitment to maintaining the unity, territorial integrity, and independence of the Syrian Arab Republic and are prepared to offer the Syrian populace all possible support in post-conflict reconstruction. We concurred that we will persist in our dialogue regarding these matters,” Aljazeera reported Lavrov as stating.
While not explicitly naming al-Assad, al-Shaibani called upon Russia to endorse Syria’s post-Assad “transitional justice” initiative and declared the establishment of a committee to assess current agreements with Moscow.
Russia operates a naval base in Tartous and an airbase at Khmeimim along Syria’s Mediterranean coastline—its sole official military facilities outside the former Soviet Union. It remains unclear if the new Syrian administration will permit Russia to maintain these bases.
In the meantime, Lavrov reiterated Moscow’s invitation for President al-Sharaa to participate in the inaugural Russia–Arab League summit scheduled for October 15.
