First contact between Putin and Sharaa: Russian readiness to help Syria

According to the agency, Sharaa and Putin exchanged views on the current situation in Syria and the political roadmap for building a new Syria. SANA said: "The Russian president affirmed his country's support for the unity, sovereignty and stability of Syria, and expressed his country's readiness to review the agreements concluded by Russia with the former regime." It added: "The Russian president also stressed the need to lift economic sanctions on Syria, and extended an official invitation to the Syrian Foreign Minister, Mr. Asaad al-Sheibani, to visit Russia."

The visit of the Russian President's Special Envoy for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, to Syria last month and his meeting with Sharaa opened the door to a new page in Russian-Syrian relations after the fall of the Assad regime, at a time when Russia seeks to preserve its interests in Syria, most notably its military bases. Bogdanov said at the time that the issue of the fate of the Russian military bases in Syria requires further consultations, stressing that no changes have occurred in the Russian presence in Syria so far.

On Tuesday, Bogdanov stressed the need to lift the unilateral sanctions imposed by the West on Syria. In statements to reporters in the capital, Moscow, he said that the West continues to impose unilateral sanctions on Syria, stressing his country's permanent opposition to this matter. He added: "The restrictions imposed on Syria are not based on international law, and have not been approved by the UN Security Council." Bogdanov pointed out that the sanctions have negatively affected all sectors in Syria.

In another statement to the Russian newspaper Izvestia, Bogdanov said that "Syria is going through a difficult period today, and we hope that its people will successfully overcome the many difficulties that have become a result of the protracted crisis in the country," stressing that Russia is ready to continue providing the necessary assistance to the Syrians. Bogdanov confirmed, according to Russia Today, that Moscow "has always supported the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Syria," adding: "We proceed from the fact that the future of the country must be determined by the Syrians themselves, through a broad national dialogue, taking into account the legitimate interests of all political forces and ethnic and religious groups."

New Arab