Putin highlights progress in restoring ties with Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin has noted the remarkable progress in restoring relations between Russia and Syria following a meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on January 28.

“Since our previous meeting, time has not been wasted; a lot has been done in terms of restoring our interstate relations; we have also managed to push the level of interaction in the economic sphere out of deadlock, an increase of more than four per cent. This may not be as ambitious as we would like, but still, the progress is noticeable, and we must definitely maintain this remarkable trend,” Putin said, Caliber.Az reports via the Kremlin website.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa in the Kremlin on Wednesday for talks that were set to include the sensitive issue of Russia's future military presence in Syria, sources on both sides said.

Since Sharaa's Islamist coalition toppled Russia's ally Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Moscow has been working to build relations with him and ensure a continued military foothold in the country to bolster its influence in the Middle East.

Reuters reported this week that Russia was withdrawing forces from Qamishli airport in northeast Syria, although it was expected to maintain its larger Hmeimim air base and Tartous naval facility on Syria's Mediterranean coast.

A Syrian foreign ministry source said the move by Moscow was interpreted in Damascus as a gesture aimed at building goodwill and signalling that Russia would not be drawn into fighting between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces as Sharaa attempts to assert central authority over the entire country.

By Khagan Isayev