{"id":4809,"date":"2023-03-15T17:17:06","date_gmt":"2023-03-15T17:17:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=4809"},"modified":"2023-03-23T18:40:38","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T18:40:38","slug":"putin-hosts-assad-focus-to-reconstruct-syria-by-mutual-consenses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/analysis\/defense\/putin-hosts-assad-focus-to-reconstruct-syria-by-mutual-consenses\/2023\/03\/15\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Putin hosts Assad, focus to reconstruct Syria rapidly"},"content":{"rendered":"

MOSCOW<\/span> (Brussels Independent in collaboration with AP)<\/span> –<\/span> Russian<\/span> President<\/span> Vladimir<\/span> Putin<\/span> said<\/span> on<\/span> Wednesday<\/span> for<\/span> talks<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> Kremlin<\/span> that<\/span> are<\/span> expected<\/span> to<\/span> focus<\/span> on<\/span> rebuilding<\/span> Syria<\/span> after<\/span> a<\/span> devastating<\/span> civil<\/span> war<\/span> and<\/span> improving <\/span>relations<\/span>\u00a0with<\/span> Damascus<\/span> and<\/span> Turkey.<\/span> Hosted<\/span> leader<\/span> Bashar<\/span> al-Assad.<\/span><\/p>\n

Putin<\/span> welcomed<\/span> Assad<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> beginning<\/span> of<\/span> a<\/span> conference<\/span> marking<\/span> the<\/span> anniversary<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> 12-year<\/span> Syrian<\/span> uprising<\/span> that<\/span> turned<\/span> into<\/span> a<\/span> civil<\/span> war,<\/span> highlighting<\/span> the<\/span> “important<\/span> contribution”<\/span> made<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> Russian<\/span> military<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> country’s<\/span> stabilization.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Russia<\/span> has<\/span> been<\/span> conducting<\/span> military<\/span> operations<\/span> in<\/span> Syria<\/span> since<\/span> September<\/span> 2015,<\/span> working<\/span> with<\/span> Iran<\/span> to<\/span> enable<\/span> the<\/span> Assad<\/span> regime<\/span> to<\/span> defeat<\/span> armed<\/span> rebels<\/span> and<\/span> regain<\/span> control<\/span> of<\/span> most<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> country.Russia<\/span> concentrates<\/span> most<\/span> of<\/span> its<\/span> military<\/span> resources<\/span> in<\/span> Ukraine,<\/span> while<\/span> Russia<\/span> maintains<\/span> a<\/span> military<\/span> base<\/span> in<\/span> Syria,<\/span> where<\/span> it<\/span> has<\/span> fighter<\/span> planes<\/span> and<\/span> troops.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Assad<\/span> thanked<\/span> Putin<\/span> for<\/span> his<\/span> support<\/span> for<\/span> Syria’s<\/span> sovereignty<\/span> and<\/span> territorial<\/span> integrity,<\/span> noting<\/span> that<\/span> support<\/span> for<\/span> the<\/span> Kremlin<\/span> remains<\/span> strong<\/span> despite<\/span> the<\/span> fighting<\/span> in<\/span> Ukraine.<\/span> After<\/span> meeting<\/span> with<\/span> senior<\/span> officials<\/span> from<\/span> both<\/span> countries,<\/span> Putin<\/span> invited<\/span> Assad<\/span> to<\/span> another<\/span> one-on-one<\/span> meeting.<\/span> Russian<\/span> and<\/span> Syrian<\/span> defense<\/span> ministers<\/span> also<\/span> met<\/span> separately<\/span> to<\/span> discuss<\/span> military<\/span> cooperation.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Moscow<\/span> has<\/span> actively<\/span> politically<\/span> endorsed<\/span> Assad<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> United<\/span> Nations<\/span> and<\/span> actively<\/span> mediated<\/span> to<\/span> restore<\/span> relations<\/span> between<\/span> his<\/span> government<\/span> and<\/span> regional<\/span> powers.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Post-earthquake<\/span> international<\/span> sympathy<\/span> appears<\/span> to<\/span> have<\/span> accelerated<\/span> regional<\/span> reconciliation,<\/span> with<\/span> 22<\/span> members<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> a<\/span> decade<\/span> after<\/span> their<\/span> membership<\/span> was<\/span> suspended<\/span> during<\/span> dialogue<\/span> with<\/span> Syria<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> early<\/span> months<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> crackdown.<\/span> There<\/span> were<\/span> calls<\/span> for<\/span> the<\/span> country’s<\/span> return<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> Arab<\/span> League.<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> rebellion<\/span> that<\/span> turned<\/span> into<\/span> war.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>As<\/span> part<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> ongoing<\/span> reconciliation,<\/span> Egyptian<\/span> and<\/span> Jordanian<\/span> foreign<\/span> ministers<\/span> recently<\/span> visited<\/span> Damascus<\/span> for<\/span> the<\/span> first<\/span> time<\/span> since<\/span> the<\/span> conflict<\/span> began<\/span> in<\/span> March<\/span> 2011<\/span> and<\/span> met<\/span> with<\/span> Assad.<\/span> On<\/span> Wednesday,<\/span> Assad<\/span> also<\/span> thanked<\/span> Putin<\/span> for<\/span> dispatching<\/span> rescue<\/span> teams,<\/span> conducting<\/span> rescue<\/span> operations<\/span> and<\/span> engaging<\/span> his<\/span> Syria-based<\/span> military<\/span> to<\/span> help<\/span> deal<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> aftermath<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> earthquake.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Before<\/span> the<\/span> earthquake,<\/span> Russia<\/span> brokered<\/span> negotiations<\/span> between<\/span> Turkey<\/span> and<\/span> Syria.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Turkey<\/span> is<\/span> backing<\/span> Syrian<\/span> rebel<\/span> militants<\/span> who<\/span> sought<\/span> to<\/span> overthrow<\/span> the<\/span> Assad<\/span> regime<\/span> during<\/span> a<\/span> civil<\/span> war<\/span> that<\/span> killed<\/span> nearly<\/span> half<\/span> a<\/span> million<\/span> people<\/span> and<\/span> displaced<\/span> half<\/span> of<\/span> its<\/span> pre-war<\/span> population.<\/span> It<\/span> calls<\/span> for<\/span> Turkey<\/span> to<\/span> withdraw<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> enclave<\/span> it<\/span> controls<\/span> in<\/span> northwestern<\/span> Syria<\/span> so<\/span> that<\/span> relations<\/span> can<\/span> be<\/span> normalized.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Surprisingly,<\/span> talks<\/span> between<\/span> Syrian<\/span> and<\/span> Turkish<\/span> defense<\/span> ministers<\/span> took<\/span> place<\/span> in<\/span> Moscow<\/span> in<\/span> December<\/span> he<\/span> said.<\/span> Arab<\/span> media<\/span> reported<\/span> that<\/span> one<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> main<\/span> issues<\/span> Assad<\/span> will<\/span> discuss<\/span> with<\/span> Putin<\/span> at<\/span> Wednesday’s<\/span> meeting<\/span> is<\/span> reconciliation<\/span> between<\/span> Syria<\/span> and<\/span> Turkey.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Kremlin<\/span> spokesman<\/span> Dmitry<\/span> Peskov<\/span> was<\/span> asked<\/span> if<\/span> Putin’s<\/span> talks<\/span> with<\/span> Assad<\/span> could<\/span> play<\/span> a<\/span> role<\/span> in<\/span> restoring<\/span> relations<\/span> between<\/span> Syria<\/span> and<\/span> Turkey.<\/span> It<\/span> will<\/span> definitely<\/span> be<\/span> part<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> agenda<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> meeting.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>While<\/span> Turkey<\/span> is<\/span> backing<\/span> Syrian<\/span> opposition<\/span> fighters<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> north,<\/span> Ankara<\/span> and<\/span> Damascus<\/span> share<\/span> disappointment<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> US-backed<\/span> Kurdish-led<\/span> Syrian<\/span> Democratic<\/span> Forces<\/span> in<\/span> northeast<\/span> Syria.<\/span> Turkish-backed<\/span> opposition<\/span> fighters<\/span> have<\/span> clashed<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> SDF<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> past,<\/span> accusing<\/span> it<\/span> of<\/span> being<\/span> part<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> banned<\/span> Kurdistan<\/span> Workers’<\/span> Party<\/span> (PKK)<\/span> in<\/span> Turkey.<\/span> The<\/span> PKK<\/span> has<\/span> been<\/span> in<\/span> rebellion<\/span> against<\/span> the<\/span> Turkish<\/span> government<\/span> for<\/span> decades.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> Assad<\/span> regime<\/span> has<\/span> portrayed<\/span> the<\/span> Self-Defense<\/span> Forces<\/span> as<\/span> a<\/span> separatist<\/span> force<\/span> that<\/span> has<\/span> stolen<\/span> the<\/span> country’s<\/span> wealth<\/span> while<\/span> controlling<\/span> Syria’s<\/span> major<\/span> oil<\/span> fields.<\/span> The<\/span> deputy<\/span> foreign<\/span> ministers<\/span> of<\/span> Syria,<\/span> Turkey<\/span> and<\/span> Russia,<\/span> as<\/span> well<\/span> as<\/span> senior<\/span> advisers<\/span> to<\/span> their<\/span> Iranian<\/span> counterparts,<\/span> were<\/span> expected<\/span> to<\/span> meet<\/span> in<\/span> Moscow<\/span> on<\/span> Wednesday<\/span> and<\/span> Thursday<\/span> to<\/span> discuss<\/span> “counter-terrorism<\/span> efforts”<\/span> in<\/span> Syria.<\/span> ‘s<\/span> Deputy<\/span> Foreign<\/span> Minister<\/span> Ayman<\/span> Susan<\/span> told<\/span> pro-government<\/span> media<\/span> that<\/span> the<\/span> meeting<\/span> was<\/span> “still<\/span> under<\/span> discussion”.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MOSCOW (Brussels Independent in collaboration with AP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday for talks at the Kremlin that are expected to focus on rebuilding Syria after a devastating civil war and improving relations\u00a0with Damascus and Turkey. Hosted leader Bashar al-Assad. Putin welcomed Assad at the beginning of a conference marking the anniversary […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4811,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[26,280,2425,2450,2480,2482],"tags":[1940,177,487,1288,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ASD.webp","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4809"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4809"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4809\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4812,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4809\/revisions\/4812"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}