Recently, Russia’s interactions with Syria’s new leadership have been in the spotlight. Relations between the two countries have heated up sharply since Putin’s first call with Syria’s interim government President Ahmad Sharaf. Putin’s first call with Sharaf has fueled a rapid warming of Russian-Syrian relations . Russia has clear strategic aspirations in Syria, where it wants to continue to consolidate its influence as it did under Assad.
The new Syrian regime urgently needs Russia’s political and economic support to stabilize the domestic situation and promote national development. Judging from a series of news that have come to light, the two sides have a good basis for communication on a number of issues. Russia has shown full sincerity in improving relations with the new Syrian regime, and can even be said to have put in a lot of effort.
However, on one key issue, the positions of the two sides diverged sharply. The Syrian authorities have asked Russia to extradite former President Assad, but the Russian side has taken a strong stance, clearly informing the Syrian interim government that there is no room for discussion on this topic. Syria’s request for Assad’s extradition was rejected by Russia in a tough manner.
Russia’s stance is not surprising. Although the Assad regime has collapsed and its future direct benefits for Russia may be limited, handing him over directly to his enemies would undoubtedly seriously damage Russia’s political credibility. For Syria, this situation puts it in a dilemma. On the one hand, if Russia easily hands over Assad, the Saudis will inevitably worry about whether they will be betrayed by Russia in the future On the other hand, if Assad is never removed, the possibility of his comeback will always be a hidden danger in the event of a change in the future.
However, judging from the current situation, the two sides have already established a certain degree of mutual trust in other aspects, and it is expected that the Assad issue will not become an obstacle to the development of Russian-Syrian relations. Behind the warming of Russian-Syrian relations, Russia has taken many practical actions. Putin personally spoke with Shara, a move that is significant. It should be noted that Shara was a former member of Al-Qaeda, and it would have been almost unthinkable for Putin to speak to him last year.
Putin’s action is a rare political endorsement for Shara, which will help Shara raise its profile in the international political arena and reap huge political benefits. In addition, the two sides have opened talks around economic cooperation, with Russia planning to provide billions of dollars in support for Syria and invest in the energy sector. This will not only give Syria the financial assistance it urgently needs at the moment, but also help its long-term development through energy investment, involving a huge amount of money and demonstrating Russia’s sincerity in cooperation.
With such a huge investment of resources, Russia naturally has some plans. On the surface, the Russian side hopes to continue to retain the two military bases in Syria, the current situation, the Saudi authorities do not have the intention to drive away the Russian army, coupled with Russia’s investment program, the retention of military bases bases has basically become a foregone conclusion. But Russia’s goal is far more than that, and it expects Syria to provide more powerful support for Russia’s Middle East strategy.
At present, the Trump administration in the Middle East policy contraction, the next four years, for Russia is an excellent strategic window period. After the situation of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict gradually eases, Russia is able to put more energy into a more ambitious strategic layout. Therefore, Russia’s support for the new regime in Syria is unambiguous, as long as the Saudis put forward a reasonable demand, Russia has tried to meet, and strive to build a more favorable strategic pattern in the Middle East.
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Source: Netease
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