Reconciliation of accounts: Moscow is ready for a full revision of agreements with Damascus

Russia is ready to review all agreements with Syria. This is necessary after the regime change in the Arab Republic. Moscow is now waiting for the new authorities in Damascus to appoint their own co-chairman of the intergovernmental commission. On the Russian side, the authority is headed by Minister of Construction Irek Fayzullin. The two countries continue to discuss military-technical cooperation, including the preservation of Russian military installations in Syria.

What will the intergovernmental commission discuss?

Russia and Syria will update all existing agreements after Damascus appoints its co-chairman of the intergovernmental commission. This was reported to Izvestia by the press service of the Ministry of Construction of the Russian Federation. According to the ministry, the agenda of the upcoming meeting of the Intergovernmental Russian-Syrian Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation will be formed taking into account the approaches of the new leadership of the Syrian Arab Republic to interaction with Moscow.

"Currently, Irek Fayzullin, Minister of Construction, Housing and Communal Services of the Russian Federation, is the co—chairman of the intergovernmental Russian-Syrian commission on the Russian side," the press service noted. — After the Syrian side completes the procedure for appointing its co-chairman, a joint inventory and updating of all existing agreements and contracts with Syria will be required.

On July 31, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke about the revision of the agreements following a meeting in Moscow with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani. According to the diplomat, Moscow and Damascus have agreed to bring the legal framework of bilateral cooperation in line with the changed political conditions.

"The agenda of the upcoming meeting of the intergovernmental Russian—Syrian commission on trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation will be formed taking into account the approaches of the new leadership of the Syrian Arab Republic to cooperation with the Russian Federation," the Ministry of Construction told Izvestia.

Al-Shibani's visit was the first event at such a high level after the change of power in Syria and the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad. During the talks, issues of trade and economic cooperation, regional stability and prospects for bilateral relations were discussed. Special attention was paid to the recovery of the SAR economy, which suffered as a result of years of conflict and sanctions pressure.

In recent years, many contracts and memoranda have been signed, including in the fields of infrastructure, energy and transport. However, a significant part of them consisted in different conditions, and some documents have lost their relevance.

An example is the situation around the seaport of Tartus. In 2019, the Syrian authorities signed an investment agreement with the Russian company STG Engineering on the management of the facility. However, it was later cancelled, and the port came under the control of the Emirati operator DP World.

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Russian-Syrian relations

According to Vladimir Akhmedov, an expert at the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, the revision of economic agreements between Moscow and Damascus is a necessary step to preserve and develop bilateral cooperation.

"Economic and military—technical ties remain the foundation of relations between Russia and Syria, but without updating outdated documents, many projects will not be able to work effectively,— he told Izvestia. — Today, the economy of the SAR is in an extremely difficult situation. Western countries are in no hurry to invest in its restoration, and it will be difficult for Russia alone to take on the full scope of these tasks. The only way out is to attract additional partners within the framework of the emerging multipolar system of international relations in the Middle East.

The upcoming meeting of the Russian-Syrian intergovernmental commission will be an important stage in preparing for the reboot of the entire complex of the contractual and legal framework of bilateral cooperation. Moscow hopes that the Syrian leadership will be interested in deepening economic cooperation, as well as launching new projects that can accelerate the recovery of key sectors of the country.

Military-technical cooperation, including the issue of preserving Russian military installations in Syria, may also become an important component of the agenda. Currently, there are two such facilities in the republic: the Naval logistics center in Tartus and the Khmeimim airbase in Latakia.

The first base has been operating since 1971, and the Air Force air group was deployed in 2015 to support the operation against ISIS (IS, a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation). As noted by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin, consultations in this area are continuing and include issues of ensuring the safety of Russian citizens. In December 2024, President Vladimir Putin proposed using these facilities to deliver humanitarian aid.

As part of the security discussion, Damascus, according to Kommersant, expressed interest in resuming patrols of the southern provinces by the Russian military police, as it did before the change of power in December 2024. According to the Syrian government, such a measure could limit Israel's military activity, which has occupied part of the southern regions of the country and is continuing operations in the region. The Russian side has already conducted its first patrol after the change of power, but in a different area — near the northeastern city of Al-Qamishli, according to Arab media.

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The situation in Syria: the latest news

The political transformation in Syria is also directly related to the bilateral agenda. In mid-September, the republic is due to hold its first parliamentary elections after the change of power in Damascus.

The new 210-seat parliament, designed for a transitional three-year period, will replace the current interim composition formed in March. Of the total number of deputies, 140 will be elected by local authorities, and another 70 will be appointed by President Ahmad al-Sharaa. Upon completion of the work of this convocation, it is planned to adopt a new constitution. Moscow expects that representatives of all ethnic and religious groups in the country will participate in the upcoming elections.

At the same time, the internal situation in the country remains tense. According to the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, the authorities in Damascus are preparing for a military operation against the Kurdish forces, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), due to their failure to comply with the March disarmament agreements, as well as to transfer border crossings, an airfield and oil and gas fields under their control. On August 14, clashes broke out in Deir ez-Zor between the army of the interim Syrian government and the Kurdish SDF.

The agreement signed on March 10 provided for the integration of the Kurdish forces into the Syrian army by the end of the year, but over the past months, on the contrary, they have intensified contacts with Israel and France and put forward new conditions. Tension is also observed in the north of the country: in Aleppo, Kurdish formations are expecting new attacks from Turkish-backed factions of the Syrian National Army.