Russian FM highlights Syrian leadership's hesitation to revive Constitutional Committee

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that the events in Syria mainly resulted from the authorities' temptation to change nothing.

Lavrov made these remarks during a press conference on the results of Russian diplomacy in 2024, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

He stated that the Russian side believed this approach was wrong.

"We strongly encouraged the Syrian leadership to resume the work of the Constitutional Committee, which was established at Russia's initiative but the leadership in Damascus was not eager for it to proceed," he noted.

"There were events in Syria that both Russian President Vladimir Putin and other representatives of ours commented on. A lot of these events happened because, over the past years—almost 10 years, since the time we sent our contingent to Syria at the request of the president of the Syrian Arab Republic, and since we established the Astana format with Türkiye and Iran, which involved several Arab countries, the political process has been slowed down. Perhaps there was a temptation to change nothing," Lavrov said.

On December 8, 2024, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime collapsed as opposition forces, primarily led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), seized control of Damascus. This marked the end of over 13 years of Assad's rule and the Assad family's dominance in Syria since 1971.

Following the regime's collapse, Assad fled Syria and sought asylum in Russia. 

The fall of Assad's regime has led to significant political changes in Syria. The Syrian Salvation Government, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, has established a transitional government in Damascus. Efforts are underway to rebuild the nation, address humanitarian concerns, and establish a new constitution.

By Naila Huseynova