Syria’s de facto new chief Ahmed al-Sharaa and different officers have held talks with Ukraine’s overseas minister in one of the vital consequential visits because the fall of Bashar al-Assad on December 8.
Syria hopes for “strategic partnerships” with Ukraine, its newly appointed overseas minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, advised his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, in Damascus on Monday.
“Definitely the Syrian individuals and the Ukrainian individuals have the identical expertise and the identical struggling that we endured over 14 years,” he added, drawing parallels between Syria’s 2011-2024 struggle and Russia’s seizure of Ukrainian territory in 2014 and culminating in its full-scale 2022 invasion.
Russia was a staunch ally of President al-Assad and has given him political asylum.
“We look ahead to mutual recognition of the sovereignty of the 2 international locations in order that we will full diplomatic illustration in Syria,” Sybiha mentioned at a information convention after his Ukrainian delegation met the Syrian leaders.
“We imagine Ukrainian-Syrian relations will witness nice improvement,” he added.
The go to comes after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned on Friday that his nation had despatched its first batch of meals assist, 500 tonnes of wheat flour, to Syria. Regardless of its struggle with Russia, Ukraine stays one of many world’s high wheat producers.
“Ukraine will stay a linchpin to meals safety in Syria, even when our nation is engaged in a struggle,” Sybiha mentioned.
Russia had been offering wheat to Syria via intricate monetary and logistical mechanisms designed to bypass Western sanctions on each Moscow and Damascus. However in accordance with a report by the Reuters information company, these shipments have been halted as a consequence of uncertainty surrounding the brand new authorities in Damascus and delays in funds.
Ukraine, which has been battling invading Russian forces for practically three years, has mentioned it needs to revive relations with Syria.
“The Russian and Assad regimes supported one another as a result of they have been primarily based on violence and torture,” Sybiha mentioned, in accordance with an announcement.
“We imagine that from a strategic standpoint, the elimination of Russia’s presence in Syria will contribute to the soundness of not solely the Syrian state however your complete Center East and Africa.”
Regardless of Moscow’s backing for al-Assad, al-Sharaa on Sunday famous the “deep strategic pursuits between Russia and Syria” in an interview with the Al Arabiya TV channel.
“All Syria’s arms are of Russian origin, and lots of energy vegetation are managed by Russian consultants. … We are not looking for Russia to depart Syria in the way in which that some want,” al-Sharaa added.
Opposition fighters led by al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched an offensive on November 27, which noticed them take various key cities in fast succession earlier than seizing the capital, Damascus, 11 days later, sending al-Assad fleeing to Russia.
A fragile stability
The Ukrainian go to shall be seen as a victory for al-Sharaa as he seeks worldwide recognition, Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra mentioned, reporting from Damascus.
“[It indicates] that the worldwide neighborhood goes to present him legitimacy or a minimum of diplomatic recognition.”
For al-Sharaa, the precedence is to ensure the brand new Syrian authorities are “not alienating any key gamers”, he added.
“They need to have ties with the Russians, the Turks, the Qataris, the Emiratis. … The issue is that a few of these don’t see eye to eye,” Ahelbarra mentioned, noting that each the Individuals and the Russians have navy bases in Syria, “however the two disagree over many points.”
The ousting of al-Assad has thrown the way forward for Russia’s navy bases in Syria into query. The Tartous naval base and Khmeimim airbase are Russia’s solely navy outposts exterior the previous Soviet Union and have been key to the Kremlin’s actions in Africa and the Center East.
“If Russia loses Syria and its ports in Tartous and Latakia, it might create large issues for Russian pursuits additionally in Africa,” political analyst Dmitry Bridzhe advised Al Jazeera, including that Russia is more likely to strike a cope with america over its bases as soon as president-elect Trump involves energy.
He mentioned Russia is more likely to see the Ukrainian go to as an “extension of the West’s technique to undermine Russian affect”.
Russian International Minister Sergey Lavrov has mentioned the standing of Russia’s navy bases can be the topic of negotiations with the brand new management in Damascus.
“What is obvious is that the battle for affect in Syria is on,” Al Jazeera’s Dorsa Jabbari mentioned, reporting from Moscow.
