DAMASCUS, Syria — On Tuesday, a group of officials from Russia made their way to Damascus, marking their first visit to Syria since the fall of former President Bashar Assad.
Assad, who had strong backing from Moscow, found sanctuary in Russia following his ousting in December, which occurred rapidly due to a rebel offensive.
The visiting delegation comprised notable figures, including Mikhail Bogdanov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, and Alexander Lavrentyev, the Russian president’s special envoy for Syria, according to reports from state media. Specific details of their visit were not disclosed.
Although there was no official statement from Syria’s interim government, the semi-official Al Watan publication claimed the Russian delegation was scheduled to meet with the acting leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, and the foreign minister.
Russian military involvement in Syria has significantly influenced the nation’s civil conflict, altering the dynamics in favor of Assad at various points.
Syria’s new leadership has maintained its ties with Moscow and has not insisted on the withdrawal of Russian troops from military establishments across the country. However, it was reported earlier this month that a contract for managing Tartous port with a Russian firm had been terminated.
After the political shift following Assad’s exit, Russia repositioned its assets and military personnel primarily to its central hub at Hmeimim air base, located near Latakia. Despite this consolidation, there have been no signs suggesting that Russia plans to vacate either the Hmeimim facility or the naval base in Tartus.
The cancellation of the Tartous commercial port modernization contract did not directly influence Russia’s naval operations there since this arrangement was under a different agreement.
Concurrently on Tuesday, a delegation from the Palestinian Authority also made a landmark visit to Damascus.
Led by Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, the Palestinian delegation held discussions with al-Sharaa, although the specifics of these talks were not disclosed.
In Syria, there are approximately 450,000 Palestinian refugees who have historically been denied citizenship under previous administrations. This policy aimed to preserve their right to return to their ancestral homes, abandoned during the 1948 establishment of Israel. The current Syrian government has yet to signal how it plans to address the situation of these refugees moving forward.
