Russia’s return to Syria; Golden opportunity in the void of American power

According to RCO News Agency, the new Russian -Syrian talks have begun to maintain military bases and develop economic cooperation. Damascus seeks to compensate for war damage and return capital, while Moscow is trying to strengthen its economic influence in the region.

Following the fall of Bashar al -Assad’s rule in Syria and the emergence of field changes, the Wall Street Journal reported that Moscow is now facing an opportunity to expand its economic influence in Syria and maintain its military bases there, and this is a “unexpected” proximity.

The bases that Russia had built along the coast of Syria allowed it to showcase its power in the Mediterranean and Africa, as well as target militias, including the positions under the control of the new Syrian rulers, al -Sham.

The US media writes, but given that US allies in West Asia are not sure of US President Donald Trump’s position on Syria, they are delaying emergency funding for the new government. This situation has provided Russia an unexpected opportunity to not only maintain its presence but also strengthen it.

In one of the first tangible signs of warming between the two sides, Russia handed over $ 5 million to the official Syrian currency last month to the central bank of Damascus. According to Syrian and European officials, Moscow published the banknotes for the Syrian crisis economy, with most other countries refused to do so for fear of sanctions.

According to sources, the liquidity injection came as Qatar and Saudi Arabia had delayed a few million dollar donations to the new Syrian government. They said these countries are waiting for Washington’s position to determine if US sanctions against former figures are now lifted.

The governments of Syria and Saudi Arabia did not respond immediately. The Kremlin also did not respond to the request.

Moscow, which is under US and European sanctions because of the war in Ukraine, has no similar concern.

“The advantage of Russia in negotiating with Syria is that no ethical considerations prevent it and can make decisions without the need for consensus,” Anna Borschchaskaya, an expert on the Middle East, told the Wall Street Journal. The key question is how the West will determine its position and interact with Syria to reduce the reasons for its dependence on Russia. “

The biggest achievement for Moscow will be to maintain its military bases in Syria, which will help expand its influence while Russia faces in the war with Ukraine.

According to the report, private talks include a range of issues, from billions of dollars in liquidity and investment in gas and ports to the possibility of Moscow’s apology for playing a role in bombing areas and even calling for new Syrian officials to extradite Assad.

According to European and Syrian officials informed of the negotiations, the Russian side has refused to discuss the request of the former Syrian president.

In contrast, former US diplomat David Shankar said the Trump administration has not yet developed any plans for the new Syrian government. “The lack of US participation in Syria makes it difficult to oppose Russia’s return,” said Shankar, who headed the US State Department near the East State Department.

A widespread agreement between Russia and Syria will revive many of the old relations between the two countries, US media writes. During the Assad era, Syria was one of Russia’s most loyal allies, while Russia was one of Syria’s largest trade partners. At that time, Russian companies had invested billions of dollars in Syria, including extracting oil from Syrian squares and natural gas processing for exports.

Economic agreements for military bases?

Negotiations began when Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, and Syria’s representative Alexander Lavrentiev, arrived in January.

Their aim was to negotiate the future of the Hamim Air Force Base and the Russian Tartus Naval Base, but the talks were rapidly widespread, including broader economic relations, according to sources.

The “fragile” relationship between Russia and the new Syrian leaders accelerated after the first phone call between Putin and Ahmad al -Sharia, the head of al -Sham, who took over the interim president of Syria, the Wall Street Journal writes. They discussed political, commercial and economic relations, including Russia’s readiness to “improve Syria’s socio-economic status” that the Kremlin cited in its statement.

A few days later, Moscow sent a banknote to Syria. At the same time, Syria is partly interested in the negotiations because of the desire to expand relations with allies beyond Turkey, which played a key role in supporting the al -Sham writing board. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent his businessmen and officials to Damascus a few days after the fall of Assad’s rule and deployed Turkish troops in parts of northern Syria.

The US media writes that Damascus has attempted to address its negotiations with Russia as an attempt to receive compensation for the suffering and the devastation that Russian forces created during the intense bombing of Assad. According to sources, Syrian negotiators have said that the new government wants to restore the funds that the former system has transferred to Russia.

According to customs documents, the Syrian Central Bank has sent about $ 5 million to a state -owned bank in Moscow, according to customs documents. According to the Globalwitz anti -corruption group, members of Assad’s family have purchased more than $ 5 million in Russia.

After Putin’s contact with Ahmad al -Sharia, known as Abu Mohammed al -Julani, Syrian President announced that Putin had invited Foreign Minister to Moscow.

According to sources of talks, Putin also said that Russia was ready to examine the conditions signed between Russia and Syria during the Assad era, one of the main demands of the new Syrian government. The contracts include a new phase of the construction of the Tartus port that had been halted, the development of massive natural gas fields at sea, phosphate mines and hydrocarbon resources in the Palmyra area, as well as the construction of a fertilizer plant in Homs in central Syria.

In fact, the negotiations have revived Russia’s widespread and long -standing economic ambitions in Syria, the Wall Sterrit of the Journal writes. According to the report, Assad had in many ways a “disappointing partner” for Moscow. The media also writes that the Zionist regime tried to mediate a deal with the new Trump government last week before Assad’s fall.

“Russia now has a new opportunity to rebuild its presence in Syria, while Damascus may have found a partner to counter the influence of Turkey and Iran, the two main powers of the region,” the report said.

“Despite Russian crimes in bombing and providing weapons for the former system, the Syrians say they want to open a new page,” a Syrian official told the Wall Street Journal.

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