This is Gray's first visit to Moscow after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria. The former dictator of this country is currently taking refuge in Russia, but the current leader of Syria revealed to journalists that he is trying to extradite al-Assad to Damascus.
Putin to Al-Shara: We have always been guided by the interests of the Syrian people
Al-Shara was received by Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who stated during his welcome that “for many decades, we have always been guided by one thing: the interests of the Syrian people. We really have very deep ties with the Syrian people.”
Putin emphasized that over 4,000 young Syrians are currently studying in Russia and expressed hope that they will strengthen the “Syrian state” in the future.
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Al-Shara wants to “redefine” relations with Moscow
In turn, al-Shara expressed his desire to “redefine” relations between Damascus and Moscow and spoke at the same time about the “long-standing historical ties” between Syria and Russia and the “common interests” of both countries.
After the meeting between Putin and Shara, which according to Russian media lasted two and a half hours, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alieksandr Novak stated that the delegations discussed the delivery of humanitarian aid to Damascus, as well as projects in the fields of energy, transport, tourism, health care and culture.
According to Nowak, Russia is ready to participate in the reconstruction of Syria, devastated by almost 14 years of war.
Earlier on Wednesday, a Syrian government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that Damascus would ask Moscow during the visit to extradite Bashar al-Assad and “all those who have committed war crimes and are in Russia.”
On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed that Moscow had offered Assad and his family asylum for “exclusively humanitarian reasons” and that they were living “in the Russian capital.”
The topic of Putin's talks with Shara may also include the issue of Russian military bases in Syria – in Tartus and Khmeim, which Russia used intensively during its intervention in the Syrian civil war in 2015. Russian troops supported al-Assad by carrying out brutal bombings of areas controlled by the rebels, of which Ahmad al-Shara was one of the leaders.
