[Regnum] Syria is interested in maintaining deep strategic relations with Russia, so the new authorities of the republic are trying to prevent a split between the countries, said Syrian President for the transitional period Ahmed al-Sharaa on March 10.
"We don't want a split between Syria and Russia. We don't want the Russian presence in Syria to be a danger or a threat to any country in the world, but we want to maintain this deep strategic relationship," he told Reuters in an interview.
According to the interim president, ties between Moscow and Damascus were so close that after the overthrow of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, the country's new authorities decided to "leave room for meetings and dialogue," avoiding confrontation with the Russian side.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, on December 8, 2024, Assad resigned and left the country after the successful offensive of armed opposition groups on Damascus. He received political asylum in Russia.
On March 6, clashes broke out in Latakia between Assad supporters and forces of the new government of the country. Clashes also began in the province of Tartus. The authorities of the republic sent troops to these regions. According to the Kurdish television channel Rudaw on March 8, at least 532 civilians were killed in armed clashes in Syria.
Later, on March 9, fighting broke out in the port city of Baniyas in Tartus province. According to the Syrian state news agency SANA, Assad supporters attacked a gas power plant in an attempt to destroy the city's energy infrastructure, and government forces are trying to retake the facility.
The press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov stated that the issue of violence against peaceful Syrian citizens requires urgent consideration. He noted that many countries of the world and international organizations, including the UN, are concerned about the worsening situation in Syria.
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The Kremlin: The issue of violence in Syria requires urgent consideration
The issue of violence against peaceful Syrian citizens requires urgent consideration. This was stated by the press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov to journalists.
According to the Kremlin spokesman, there are manifestations of violence in Syria that cannot but cause deep concern for the Russian side. Violence against Syrians is also a concern in many countries around the world and in international organizations, including the UN.
“We believe that this issue needs to be urgently considered and, most importantly, that these manifestations of violence are eliminated as quickly as possible,” Peskov emphasized.
On the evening of March 9, the first deputy permanent representative of the Russian mission to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, reported that Russia and the United States had requested urgent closed consultations of the UN Security Council in connection with the use of violence against peaceful Syrians.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on March 7, clashes broke out in Latakia between supporters of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and forces of the country's new government. Clashes also began in the province of Tartus. The republic's authorities sent troops into these regions.
According to the Kurdish television channel Rudaw, at least 532 civilians have been killed in armed clashes in Syria as of March 8. It was also reported that 93 members of the security forces and 120 fighters from among the former president's supporters were killed.
In addition, fighting broke out in the port city of Baniyas in Tartus province on March 9. According to the Syrian state news agency SANA, Assad loyalists "attacked" a gas power plant in order to destroy the city's energy infrastructure, and government forces tried to retake the facility.