[Regnum] The events in Syria, where a change of power took place, were largely caused by the temptation of the previous leadership to “change nothing.” This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on January 14.
"Almost 10 years, probably. From the moment when, at the request of the [former] President of the Syrian Arab Republic [Bashar al-Assad], we sent our contingent there. From the moment when we created the Astana format with the Turks and the Iranians, in which a number of Arab countries participated, there was still a slowdown in the political process. And, probably, there was a temptation to "change nothing," the minister said at a press conference dedicated to the results of Russian diplomacy in 2024.
He stressed that the Russian authorities understood that this was the wrong position. Lavrov specified that Moscow was pushing Damascus to resume the work of the Constitutional Committee of Syria, created earlier on the initiative of the Russian Federation. According to him, the Syrian leadership did not demonstrate a desire to restore the activities of this body.
The Foreign Minister also stressed that Russia is not leaving the Middle East. The Minister added that the issue is not being discussed.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on December 8, Bashar al-Assad resigned as president and left Syria, ordering a peaceful transfer of power. He and his family arrived in Russia, where they were granted asylum.
In late December, Lavrov noted that Assad had failed to cope with social problems in his country, including due to the destructive actions of the United States, which occupied the resource-rich northeast of Syria. The minister specified that social tension in the Arab Republic was facilitated by the strangulation of its economy by external forces.
On January 8, 2025, the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN Vasily Nebenzya noted that Moscow intends to continue to provide Damascus with various assistance after the change of power in Syria, including humanitarian aid. He added that this includes humanitarian aid, restoration of destroyed social infrastructure facilities, and creation of a material base for the return of Syrian refugees.
Russia has supported the Syrian government led by Assad in its fight against terrorist forces for several years. Moscow has pledged to provide support as long as the Syrian state itself is conducting military operations, noted Russian President Vladimir Putin. Back in 2015, he emphasized that “we are not going to be more Syrian than the Syrians themselves.”