Construction concerns: Russia is ready to help with the reconstruction of Syria

The Russian Federation supports the territorial integrity of the SAR, and the Russian construction complex is ready to help with the reconstruction of the country. Vladimir Putin said this on January 28 at a meeting with Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is on a visit to Moscow. The Russian leader called the integration of Trans-Euphrates in the northeast of the country an important step in this direction. The Syrian President noted Russia's role in stabilizing the situation not only in the republic, but throughout the Middle East. The politicians noted considerable success in bilateral relations: the trade turnover increased by more than 4%. The issue of Russian military bases remains on the agenda.

Why did the head of Syria come to Russia again

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa flew back to Moscow on January 28 for an official visit, his second visit to the Russian capital since he took over the leadership of the republic in December 2024. Moreover, by the standards of the meetings of world leaders, the visit took place quite recently, just over three months ago. Both Vladimir Putin and Ahmed al-Sharaa noted the great work done: the head of Syria even estimated that in just a year there had been 13 mutual visits by interdepartmental delegations of both countries.

— Since our previous meeting, time has not been in vain, much has been done in terms of restoring our interstate relations. The level of cooperation in the economic sphere has also been improved. More than four percent growth. This may not be as ambitious as we would like, but there is still a noticeable movement, and we must definitely maintain this remarkable trend," the Russian president confirmed.

Now the parties will actively engage in cooperation in sports, medicine, and construction, Vladimir Putin added. In general, relations between the two countries are developing in the new realities, he noted, and especially highlighted the role of the President of the republic. The two leaders also confirmed their deep and close historical relations. For example, back in 1944, during the Second World War— the Soviet Union and Syria signed an agreement on the establishment of diplomatic relations. And over the years, there have been no dark pages at the interstate level, Vladimir Putin said.

— Today, on the way from the airport, I saw a lot of snow, and I remembered that historically there have been many military operations, they tried to reach Moscow, but the resilience of the people and the weather even helped to repel these attacks. And we wish you, of course, all the best," al-Sharaa said.

Vladimir Putin also touched upon the restoration of Syria's territorial integrity. Recall that on January 18, al-Sharaa approved a new agreement providing for a cease-fire between government forces and Kurdish formations operating in the Euphrates. According to him, in particular, the provinces of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa come under the full control of the new authorities of the republic.

— I want to congratulate you on the fact that this process is gaining momentum. We have always advocated the restoration of the territorial integrity of Syria, as you know, and we support all your efforts in this direction. I hope that the integration of Trans—Euphrates is, of course, the most important step in this direction, and it will contribute to the restoration of the territorial integrity of Syria as a whole," the Russian president said.

The Syrian leader confirmed that his country has come a long way over the past year. The republic has overcome the stage of sanctions, and the unification of the territory of Syria is now one of the main challenges. Ahmed al-Sharaa noted the importance of the Russian Federation's role in stabilizing not only the situation in the republic, but also in the entire Middle East as a whole. The Russian construction sector is ready to help in the reconstruction of Syria, Vladimir Putin stressed.

Russian-Syrian relations under the new government in the republic

The Syrian president's current visit to Russia comes amid attempts by Damascus to reformat relations with Moscow and build a more pragmatic model of cooperation. The authorities of the Arab Republic make it clear that they do not consider cooperation with the Russian Federation in the logic of a block policy and are not interested in confrontation. This approach was previously stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Transitional Government, Asaad al-Shibani.

After Ahmed al-Sharaa's October visit to Moscow, the framework of a new format of interaction was actually defined between the countries, then the Russian president placed key accents on a wide range of issues, including the humanitarian agenda, prospects for military-technical cooperation, political contacts and the regional situation, a researcher at the Center for the Study of Common Problems of the Modern East of the Institute of Oriental Sciences explained to Izvestia. Vladimir Akhmedov.

Russia's military presence in Syria remains one of the key elements of the dialogue. Moscow owns the logistics center of the Russian Navy in Tartus and the Khmeimim airbase in Latakia, which have a special status and were previously used, including for humanitarian supplies. The Kremlin confirmed that the issue of the functioning of Russian facilities is being discussed at the highest level and remains on the agenda of bilateral contacts along with the general situation in the region.

Against this background, practical military coordination has intensified in recent months. According to the Izvestia source, cooperation between the defense departments remains in place. In mid-November, a large Russian delegation arrived in Damascus, and negotiations between the leadership of the two countries' defense ministries were devoted to strengthening cooperation and coordination mechanisms. The Syrian side is also interested in resuming patrols in a number of areas by the Russian military police, hoping thereby to reduce tensions on the southern borders of the country.

"During the negotiations earlier, the Syrians asked for increased security in the southern and central regions, and for the return of the Russian S—300 and S-400 complexes, which were dismantled in 2016, because the country's skies remain open without effective air defense," Vladimir Akhmedov added.

Media reports say that Damascus continues to raise the issue of the fate of ex-President Bashar al-Assad, who is in Russia. According to the Reuters news agency, the Syrian authorities allegedly requested Russia to extradite the former leader of the country. At the same time, the Syrian leadership is trying not to escalate the dialogue with Moscow on this topic. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in response to a question from journalists about the possibility of Assad's extradition, said that the Kremlin does not comment on this topic.

Another important task of the parties is the revision of bilateral agreements. In previous years, a significant number of contracts and memoranda were signed, many of which were concluded in different political and economic conditions. Moscow and Damascus have agreed to take an inventory of the entire legal framework and transfer this process to a regular format, linking it with the interests of the Syrian state and the prospects for long-term cooperation.