New Syrian authorities interested in Russia’s continued presence – Moscow

The new leadership in Damascus has been sending positive signals to Moscow, Russia’s UN envoy has said

The new de-facto authorities of Syria have shown interest in Russia’s continued presence in the country, Russia’s UN envoy, Vassily Nebenzia, has said, admitting, however, a lack of concrete steps in that direction.

The senior diplomat made the remarks on Friday while speaking to the broadcaster Russia 1. Russia and Syria have been long-linked by “ties of friendship” that are not “bound by any regimes,” Nebenzia stated.

“The incumbent de-facto leaders of Syria are sending signals, including about the Russian stay in Syria, stating that the new Syrian authorities are interested in our continued presence,” the UN envoy said.

The new authorities fancy themselves a force “that cares about the interests of all Syrians,” the diplomat said, noting that they thus far appeared to be “behaving quite competently.”

“I don’t know whether they are being guided or understand themselves that it is necessary to send the right signals to the entirety of Syrian society,” he added.

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Militant groups, led by Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS) jihadists, launched a surprise offensive against the Syrian government led by now-former President Bashar Assad in November last year. The attack resulted in a collapse of the Syrian military in a matter of days and the downfall of the government, with Assad fleeing the country for Moscow.

The development created uncertainty around Moscow’s military presence in the country and the fate of the Russian military installations primarily located on the country’s Mediterranean coast, namely Khmeimim Air Base near Latakia and a naval facility at Tartus.

Late in December, the head of HTS and the country’s de facto leader Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, best known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani, said Damascus had “strategic interests” in maintaining good ties with Russia, describing it as the “second most powerful country in the world.”

“We don’t want Russia to exit Syria in a way that would not be befitting for its long-standing relations” with the nation, the HTS chief said at the time.