\n<\/p>\n
Russian leader Vladimir Putin hailed continued friendly relations between his country and Syria on Wednesday as he met Syrian transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Moscow – despite sheltering the deposed Bashar al-Assad in Russia.<\/p>\n
Putin said that Syria was experiencing difficult times, but the recent parliamentary elections had strengthened cooperation among all political forces there.<\/p>\n
He added that the victory of the pro-presidential bloc was a major success as it contributed to the consolidation of society.<\/p>\n
The trip marks the first official visit by al-Sharaa to Russia since he assumed office last December, after leading a rebel alliance that toppled former ruler al-Assad after years of civil war.<\/p>\n
Russia was one of the country’s closest allies under al-Assad. The former president fled to Russia after his ouster, where he and his family were granted asylum.<\/p>\n
According to Syrian security sources, al-Sharaa planned to ask Putin during his visit to extradite al-Assad. Al-Sharaa is accompanied by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra.<\/p>\n
The Kremlin made no mention of this coming up in the near three-hour talks, but Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak stated that Russia was ready to participate in Syria’s reconstruction.<\/p>\n
“Humanitarian deliveries were discussed, and the Syrian side is particularly interested in supplies of wheat, food and medicine,” Novak told the Russian news agency Interfax.<\/p>\n
A joint commission between the two governments is to be established for trade and economic cooperation.<\/p>\n
“Today, we also discussed specific projects in the fields of energy, transport, development of tourism infrastructure, health care and the cultural-humanitarian sphere,” Novak added.<\/p>\n
Russian bases in Syria a hot topic<\/strong><\/p>\n Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had announced before Wednesday’s meeting that Russia’s military bases in Syria would be discussed.<\/p>\n Putin, who had supported al-Assad militarily for years in his fight against the current rulers, intends to keep Russia’s bases in Syria.<\/p>\n The port in Tartus is Russia’s only base on the Mediterranean coast and therefore strategically significant.<\/p>\n Moscow has also used the Khmeimim airbase south-east of the city of Latakia for its bombers and helicopters.<\/p>\n Al-Sharaa stated that Syria respects all agreements made with Moscow.<\/p>\n “We maintain close relations with Russia, and a significant part of the Syrian energy sector relies on Russian expertise,” said the interim president.<\/p>\n