Syria’s new rulers have decided to take a pragmatic approach, despite Russia’s support for previous President Bashar al-Assad.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani has said his country wants Russia “by our side”, marking the first formal visit to Moscow by an official of the new government in Damascus since Syria’s previous Russian-backed government was overthrown last year.
“The current period is full of various challenges and threats, but it is also an opportunity to build a united and strong Syria. And, of course, we are interested in having Russia by our side on this path,” al-Shaibani told his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Thursday during his visit to Moscow, according to a Russian translation of his comments.
“But, of course, there are a number of factors that determine and complicate these relations on the ground,” al-Shaibani said, adding that the relations should be based on “mutual respect”.
Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a key Russian ally in the Middle East, fled to Moscow last year after being ousted in a lightning rebel offensive that ended five decades of the al-Assad family’s rule.
