The President of Syria has arrived in the Russian Federation for a working visit. The agenda of the talks encompasses the current state and prospects for the development of bilateral relations in various spheres, alongside discussions on the current situation in the Middle East.
The talks continued at a working breakfast.
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Beginning of Russian-Syrian talks
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President, colleagues,
It is a great pleasure to welcome you once again to Moscow. Much has been achieved in restoring our interstate relations since we last met; time has not been wasted.
We have also managed to set things in motion in terms of our economic cooperation, with growth of over 4 percent. While this is perhaps not as ambitious as we might have wished, it’s a positive step nonetheless, and it is a trend we should keep going. We continue to work actively to develop our partnership across all areas.
As we have discussed before, Russian-Syrian relations have deep historical roots. Diplomatic ties were formally established as far back as 1944, with the signing of an agreement even as the Second World War was raging. Throughout all the following decades, our bilateral relations have remained consistently strong, without a single dark chapter.
Today, in this new reality – and thanks in no small measure, above all, to your personal efforts – the relations between Syria and Russia continue to progress.
I have already mentioned the economic dimension. There is, of course, much to discuss on this front, and we will certainly use today’s visit to delve into these matters.
Our various agencies have been very active since your last visit. A large interdepartmental delegation from the Russian Government travelled to Syria and worked intensively with their colleagues. Consequently, we have a number of promising initiatives planned, spanning both industry and humanitarian affairs – including sports, medicine, and construction. We are aware of the significant rebuilding needs in Syria, and our economic operators, particularly in the construction sector, are ready to engage in this joint work.
We have followed closely your efforts to restore Syria’s territorial integrity. I would like to congratulate you on the growing momentum of this process. Russia has always championed this goal, you know our position well, and we fully support your endeavours in this direction.
I hope that the integration of areas east of the Euphrates – this is, without doubt, a crucial step forward – will contribute significantly to the full restoration of Syria’s territorial integrity. We congratulate you on this achievement.
Once again, we are delighted to have you with us. Welcome, Mr President.
President of the Syrian Arab Republic Ahmed al-Sharaa (retranslated): Thank you very much, Mr President.
I am truly pleased to be here; this is my second visit. To date, there have already been 13 delegation exchanges between our countries. I believe a year has passed since the first such visit.
On my way from the airport today, I saw a lot of snow and was reminded that, historically, there have been many military campaigns and attempts to seize Moscow. Yet the resilience of the people, and even the climate, helped repel those efforts. We sincerely wish you all the best.
We have many issues to look into and discuss. I hope that during our meeting we will address them in detail and that our discussions will be productive.
I believe that over the past year, Syria has come a long way and has managed to overcome sanctions.
However, one of the greatest challenges is the unification of Syrian territory. We have been working consistently on this issue since last year. Russia, of course, plays a major role in Syria, contributing to the stabilisation not only in our country but in the entire region. Our region is in great need of stability. For this reason, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you, Mr President, for your efforts in this regard.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you.
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