DAMASCUS (Reuters) – Syria hopes to determine “strategic partnerships” with Ukraine, its new international minister informed his Ukrainian counterpart on Monday, as kyiv prepares to determine ties with Damascus’ new Islamist leaders in a context of declining Russian affect.
Russia was a staunch ally of deposed President Bashar al-Assad and granted him political asylum. Moscow mentioned it was in touch with the brand new administration in Damascus, notably on the destiny of Russian navy installations in Syria.
“There will likely be strategic partnerships between us and Ukraine on the political, financial and social ranges, in addition to scientific partnerships,” new Syrian Overseas Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani informed Ukraine’s Andrii Sybiha .
“It’s sure that the Syrian folks and the Ukrainian folks have the identical expertise and the identical struggling that we endured for 14 years,” he added, apparently drawing a parallel between Syria’s brutal civil battle from 2011 to 2024 and Russia’s seizure of Ukrainian territory culminated in its scale. on a big scale 2022.
Sybiha, who additionally met Syria’s new de facto chief Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on Monday, mentioned Ukraine would ship extra meals support deliveries to Syria after the anticipated arrival of 20 shipments of flour Tuesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy introduced final Friday the sending of the primary batch of Ukrainian meals support to Syria, together with 500 tons of wheat flour, as a part of kyiv’s humanitarian initiative “Grains of Ukraine” in cooperation with the United Nations World Meals Program.
RUSSIAN INFLUENCE IN A PRESSURE
Ukraine, a worldwide producer and exporter of grains and oilseeds, historically exports wheat and corn to Center Japanese international locations, however to not Syria, which in the course of the Assad period imported meals from Russia.
Deliveries of Russian wheat to Syria have been suspended on account of uncertainty over the brand new authorities in Damascus and fee delays, Russian and Syrian sources informed Reuters in early December. Russia had equipped wheat to Syria utilizing advanced monetary and logistical preparations to avoid Western sanctions imposed on Moscow and Damascus.
The overthrow of Assad by al-Sharaa’s Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, calls into query the way forward for Russian navy bases in Syria – the Hmeimim air base in Latakia and the naval base in Tartus.
Russian Overseas Minister Sergei Lavrov mentioned the standing of Russian navy bases could be topic to negotiations with the brand new management in Damascus.
Al-Sharaa mentioned this month that relations between Syria and Russia should serve widespread pursuits. In an interview printed on Sunday, he mentioned Syria shared strategic pursuits with Russia, hanging a conciliatory tone, however with out giving additional particulars.
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