Syria sets new conditions for Russia to access military base

According to the Azerbaijan News.Az information analysis portal on March 24, a new development is emerging in the diplomatic relations between Syria and Russia, when the new Syrian government made important requests regarding the use of military bases in this Middle Eastern country.

After the Assad regime collapsed in December last year, new leader Ahmed Al Sharaa has taken tough steps to mend ties with Russia. Key to Sharaa’s demands is the extradition of President Bashar al-Assad, who is currently seeking asylum in Russia.

Syria's interim President Sharaa has insisted that Mr Assad must be extradited. This is seen as a prerequisite for the new Syrian government to consider continuing relations with Russia, especially in the issue of the use of military bases.

Russia is currently trying to maintain control of two important bases: Tartus, which provides logistical support in the Mediterranean region, and Khmeimim, which serves as a launch pad for military operations in Africa.

Despite the pressure, Russia still shows goodwill. On March 20, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a message of support for efforts to stabilize the situation in Syria and ensure the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of this Middle Eastern country.

Earlier in February, Syrian Defense Minister Abou Kasra announced his readiness to allow Russia to maintain military bases on one important condition: any agreement must fully respect Damascus' interests.

The relationship between Syria and Russia is currently at a rather complicated stage. Syria's new conditions show a significant change from the previous policy of the Assad regime, when Damascus was almost completely dependent on Moscow.

According to Reuters news agency, the future of the above bases, which are an indispensable part of Russia's military operations in the Middle East and Africa, lies in the hands of Syrian interim President Ahmed Sharaa.

Mr Sharaa wants to renegotiate the generous 49-year Assad-era lease on Tartous and the indefinite lease on Hmeimim to secure better terms, but does not appear to want Moscow excluded entirely.

Instead, it appears that Russian forces are remaining at the bases in exchange for diplomatic support and financial compensation from Russia, which was deeply involved in Syria’s economy and defense for seven decades before entering Syria’s civil war in 2015.

Although the EU and the US have eased some sanctions on Syria, remaining restrictions make doing business with the war-torn and poverty-stricken country of 23 million people difficult.

Restoring Russia’s traditional supplies of weapons, fuel and wheat could be a lifeline, so Syria’s new leaders are willing to “compromise” with Russia, a diplomat in Damascus told Reuters.

"Moscow still has something to offer Syria that is too powerful to ignore. Russia just needs a government in Damascus that guarantees its interests and is willing to negotiate with that government," said Anna Borshchevskaya, an expert at the Washington Institute.

At a meeting in Damascus on Jan. 29, Sharaa sought to cancel loans signed with Russia under Assad, two sources told Reuters. Syria, which had virtually no foreign debt before the civil war, now has $20 billion to $23 billion in external obligations, Finance Minister Mohammad Abazid said last month, without specifying how much it owed to Russia.

During the three-hour meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, Syrian officials also raised another key issue, the return of Assad to Syria, but spoke only in general terms, saying it was not a major obstacle to rebuilding relations, one of the sources said. A senior Russian source also said Moscow would not agree to extradite Assad and had not been asked to do so.

In a statement released after the meeting, the Syrian government said Mr Sharaa stressed that new relations needed to address past grievances. All sources said the meeting went relatively smoothly.

Asked by Reuters whether talks between Moscow and Damascus on the fate of Russian military bases were progressing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "We are continuing to contact the Syrian authorities."