Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s new leader, would like better relations with Moscow, Qatar said.
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has informed Russian President Vladimir Putin that the new leader of Syria is interested in improving relations with Moscow.
During talks in the Russian capital, Al Thani confirmed to the Russian leader that interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa is actively seeking to establish ties with Russia following the departure of former President Bashar al-Assad, who had a strong alliance with Moscow.
“A few days ago, President al-Sharaa visited Qatar and we discussed the historical and strategic relationship between Syria and Russia,” Al Thani told Putin.
The discussions took place as Putin works to maintain Russia’s military presence in Syria through two bases to uphold its influence in the region after al-Assad left the country in December amidst escalating conflict with opposition forces led by Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Putin emphasized the grave situation in Syria, marked by recent sectarian violence.
“We are committed to preserving Syria as a sovereign, independent, and territorially integral state and we are open to discussing the potential of offering assistance to the Syrian people, including humanitarian aid,” the Kremlin leader informed the emir.
The two leaders also exchanged thoughts on the situation in Gaza, where Qatar played a pivotal role in brokering a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in January with a three-phase ceasefire plan.
Following Israel’s resumption of military operations in Gaza in March, efforts to reinstate the ceasefire have not yet made progress.
“Although we reached an agreement on Gaza a few months ago, Israel has failed to uphold its end of the agreement,” Al Thani stated.
“As a mediator, Qatar is dedicated to bridging differing viewpoints to reach a resolution that alleviates the suffering of the Palestinian people.”
Putin acknowledged Qatar’s significant efforts to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“Regrettably, the proposed initiatives, including those from you, have not been implemented, resulting in continued loss of life in Palestine, which is a tragic reality of today,” Putin expressed.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, as reported by Interfax, mentioned that while there was no substantial discussion on the conflict in Ukraine, Putin expressed gratitude for Qatar’s role in repatriating children separated from their parents in both conflict-stricken countries.
