Russian President Vladimir Putin received Syria’s transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, at the Kremlin in Moscow on Wednesday, October 15.

During the meeting, al-Sharaa said the “new Syria” is rebuilding its strategic and political relations with all countries, led by Russia. He noted that part of Syria’s food supply depends on Russian production and that many Syrian power stations rely on Russian expertise, according to remarks carried by Russia’s Sputnik news agency.

Al-Sharaa stressed that “Russia and Syria are linked by serious bridges of cooperation, including economic cooperation,” adding that Syria “respects previously concluded agreements and this shared history,” while seeking to redefine the relationship around “Syrian sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security-driven stability at the regional and global levels.”

Putin said Russia’s relations with Syria have always been guided by “the interests of the Syrian people,” adding that ties between the two countries have been “very friendly” for decades. He described Syria’s recent parliamentary elections as a “major success,” saying they would strengthen links among political forces in the country.

Al-Sharaa said Damascus would work to “reset” relations with Moscow, with internal stability in Syria, and in the wider region, remaining the priority.

Visit agenda

SANA reported that al-Sharaa arrived in Russia on Wednesday for his first foreign trip since taking office, for talks with Putin on bilateral ties and regional and international developments of mutual concern. The Kremlin said the two sides would discuss the current state and prospects of Russian-Syrian cooperation in political, trade, economic, and humanitarian fields, in addition to the latest developments in the Middle East.

SANA added that the president is also scheduled to meet members of the Syrian community in Russia.

Reuters: request to hand over Bashar al-Assad; base talks

On Tuesday, Reuters cited a Syrian official source saying al-Sharaa would travel to Moscow and would formally request the handover of deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, currently in Russia, to stand trial on charges related to crimes against Syrians. The agency also reported the visit would include talks about Russia’s two military facilities in Syria: Hmeimim Air Base in Latakia (on Syria’s Mediterranean coast) and the naval facility in Tartus (on Syria’s Mediterranean coast).

Timing

The visit comes despite the postponement of the Arab-Russian summit that had been slated for Wednesday; Putin delayed the gathering to an unspecified date amid the situation in Gaza and meetings by several leaders in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh.