Syria demands Russian compensation for ‘past mistakes’ in first talks since Assad’s fall

Smoke rises as Russian warplanes carry out an airstrike on Aleppo University Hospital in Aleppo, Syria on December 01, 2024 (Hatip Idlibi/Anadolu via Getty Images)
THE KYIV INDEPENDENT| Published January 31, 2025

Syria’s new government pressed Russia for compensation and the correction of “past mistakes” during its first talks with a Kremlin delegation on Jan. 28, following the ouster of Russian-backed dictator Bashar al-Assad in December.

“The dialogue highlighted Russia’s role in rebuilding trust with the Syrian people through compensation, reconstruction, and recovery,” a Syrian statement on the talks said.

Russia deployed troops to Syria in 2015 to support the Assad regime’s brutal crackdown against anti-government forces. With Moscow’s support, Assad’s regime was free to imprisontorture, and murder hundreds of thousands of Syrians.

Assad would later flee to Moscow where he now resides.

Russia’s delegation, which included Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for Syria, Alexander Lavrentyev, met with Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa.

A banner depicting Syrian former President Bashar al-Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin and reading “Justice Prevails,” is displayed along a highway in Damascus, Syria on March 8, 2022. (Louai Beshara / AFP via Getty Images)

Bogdanov reportedly described the talks as constructive, acknowledging the “difficult situation.” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on the report about Syrian demands for compensation, Russian state news agency TASS reported.

Following Assad’s ouster and flight to Russia, Moscow began withdrawing military assets, leaving the future of its bases in Tartus and Khmeimim uncertain.

Satellite images revealed that a “large amount” of Russian military equipment disappeared from Tartus after the cargo ship Sparta II’s departure, investigative journalist Mark Krutov said on Jan. 27.

Ukraine has also engaged with Syria’s new leadership, with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha visiting Damascus on Dec. 30 to discuss Russia’s military presence.

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi noted that Kyiv and Damascus share similar views on the issue, though details were not disclosed.

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SOURCE: www.kyivindependent.com

RELATED: Russia tight-lipped on Syrian demand of al-Assad for military bases

Syrian leader al-Sharaa reportedly also demands reparations as Moscow delegation seeks to secure strategic power bases.


Torn posters shows the late Syrian President Hafez Assad and his son the ousted Syrian president Bashar Assad, that were set at the entrance of the notorious security detention centre called Palestine Branch on the outskirts of Damascus on December 14, 2024 [Hussein Malla/AP Photo]
AL JAZEERA | Published January 31, 2025

Russia has declined to comment on reports that Syria has demanded the return of Bashar al-Assad in return for allowing Moscow to maintain its military bases in the Middle Eastern country.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov offered no response on Wednesday when asked by reporters about the claim. A high-level Russian delegation was in Syria the previous day for talks with the country’s new de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Al-Assad, a key Russian ally in the Middle East, fled to Moscow in December after being ousted in a lightning rebel offensive led by al-Sharaa.

His overthrow ended five decades of rule by the al-Assad family, which is accused of widespread human rights violations. His fall was a hit for Russia, which used its military bases in Syria not only to prop up al-Assad’s regime but also to project its power internationally.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow said on Wednesday that the delegation led by President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy on the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, held “frank” discussions as it hopes to retain the Tartous naval base and Khmeimim airbase.

Unconfirmed news reports said that in return al-Sharaa demanded al-Assad be sent back to Syria and reparations be paid.

Syria’s Sanaa news agency reported that he asked for Russia to rebuild trust through “concrete measures such as compensation, reconstruction and recovery”.

The Syrian administration said it had “stressed that restoring relations must address past mistakes, respect the will of the Syrian people and serve their interests”.

 

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SOURCE: www.aljazeera.com

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