Russia's Putin and Syria's Sharaa hold first call since Assad fall

Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call on Wednesday, marking their first contact since the ouster of Russian-backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December.

A statement from the Kremlin on Telegram reads, “Putin wished success to Ahmed al-Sharaa in solving the tasks facing the new leadership of the country." The Russian leader also stressed his support for Syria’s territorial integrity.

Putin expressed willingness to help Syria in its reconstruction and with humanitarian assistance.

Speaking Tuesday at the World Government Summit in Dubai, Syrian Foreign Minister Hassan al-Shaibani said Damascus has received “positive” signs from Moscow but stressed, “There is an open wound for the Syrian people and there are a lot of people who have suffered as a result of the relationship.”

“Any kind of respect to our freedom and sovereignty will be met with mutual respect, and any kind of interference will be rejected,” Shaibani said.

Why it matters: Russia lost a major ally in the Middle East when Assad was deposed by a rebel offensive on Dec. 8. Assad and his family flew to Moscow as the rebels took Damascus and were granted asylum there. 

The political change in Syria prompted the Kremlin to scramble to maintain control of its assets in the country, which hosts its only naval base on the Mediterranean Sea.

Russia has an air base in Hmeimim and a naval base in Tartous, both located on Syria’s Mediterranean coast.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov visited Damascus late last month, marking the first visit by a Russian official to Syria since Assad’s fall. He met with Sharaa as well as Shaibani for what the Russian Foreign Ministry described as “substantive discussions” on bilateral relations.

Sharaa has expressed willingness to maintain ties with Russia despite Moscow’s direct military support for Assad during the civil war. Sharaa told Al-Arabiya in late December that he does not want Russia to exit Syria “in a way that undermines its relationship with our country." He referenced Moscow's management of power plants in Syria.

"All of Syria's arms are of Russian origin, and many power plants are managed by Russian experts," he said, "We do not want Russia to leave Syria in the way that some wish."

Russia intervened militarily on behalf of Assad in 2015 and carried out strikes in support of his forces during the rebel push toward Damascus late last year.

Still, Syria’s new authorities have moved to limit Russia’s presence. Late last month, Russia’s lease of the Tartous port was terminated. 

Know more: Bogdanov criticized Western sanctions on Syria on Tuesday.

“We believe that even if the situation in Syria is viewed through the lens of the West's distorted logic, after the fundamental changes and the removal of the Bashar Assad regime there, continuing sanctions pressure on Damascus has lost any sense,” he said, the official Tass news agency reported.

The United States and European Union maintain sanctions on Syria dating back to Assad’s rule. France and other European countries have said they are working to lift some sanctions.