MOSCOW, January 28. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks on Wednesday with Syrian interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, who will be on a working visit to Russia.

As the Kremlin press service said earlier, the two leaders "plan to discuss the state and prospects of bilateral relations in various areas, as well as the current situation in the Middle East."

It will be al-Sharaa’s second visit to Moscow in his current status. His previous visit to the Russian capital for talks with Putin took place slightly more than three months ago, in mid-October.

The meeting will be held the day before the Syrian politician, who assumed the post on January 29, 2025, marks his first year in office.

Restarting relations

During al-Sharaa’s previous visit, Putin said that Moscow was always guided by the Syrian people’s interests in relations with Damascus. In turn, the Syrian leader said he was willing "to restart the entire complex of relations" between Moscow and Damascus.

In his words, Russia and Syria "are connected by solid bridges of cooperation, including material cooperation," and, therefore, Moscow plays a serious role on the Arab Republic’s political transformation. In his words, Syria relies on multiple achievements that Russia helped to make.

Back then, the talks lasted 2.5 hours, ending in the working breakfast format.

Robust ties

Since 1950s, Moscow and Damascus have cooperated intensively, including in the military sphere. The Soviet Union played an active role in creating the armed forces of independent Syria and supported the Arab republic.

Russia operates two military facilities in Syria — the Russian Navy maintenance base in the port city of Tartus, and the Hmeimim Air Base, situated in Jableh, Latakia. On December 19, 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow proposed to use its military bases for deliveries of humanitarian aid to Syria.

Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said during al-Sharaa’s previous visit that the future of the military bases was among the issues raised by the two presidents.