Putin, Al-Sharaa meet in Moscow to revitalize Syria-Russia relations

KABUL: Ahmad Al-Sharaa, the President of Syria, is on an official visit to Moscow, where he met with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, at the Kremlin.
The Moscow Times reported on Wednesday evening that the focus of the meeting between the Russian and Syrian leaders was on revitalizing relations between Moscow and Damascus and ensuring the presence of Russian military bases in the Middle East.
President Putin stated that there have been “many achievements” in revitalizing relations between the two governments. He remarked, “We have closely followed your efforts to restore Syria’s territorial integrity and would like to congratulate you on the acceleration of this process.”
Meanwhile, President Al-Sharaa noted that Russia plays a “historical role not only in the unity and stability of Syria but also in the stability of the entire region.”
This marks Al-Sharaa’s second visit to Moscow since he took office over a year ago. Previously, he had requested that Russia hand over Bashar al-Assad, the former Syrian president currently in Russia, to Damascus.