Leading members of the Syrian opposition now in control of Damascus have held talks with Russian officials in Ankara and Doha, according to Anas al-Abdah, a representative of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, TASS reported in its Press Review today. Discussions centered on Syria’s future governance structure. As for Russian bases in Syria, Al-Abdah emphasized that their presence would depend on a bilateral agreement between the two countries. He also highlighted the importance of building constructive relations based on mutual interests that are shared by the Syrian and Russian populations.
“The measured stance adopted by Syria’s new leadership toward Russian military assets aligns with their broader strategy of gaining legitimacy in the eyes of both regional actors and the global community,” commented Grigory Lukyanov, a senior researcher at the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Institute of Oriental Studies under the Russian Academy of Sciences, in a statement to Izvestia.