TUNIS, October 14. /TASS/. Syria’s Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa will pay an official visit to Russia on October 15, the Syrian newspaper Al-Watan reported.

This visit will be the first trip to Moscow for the new Syrian leader.

A Syrian government delegation led by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani arrived in Moscow on July 31. The delegation also included Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra, General Intelligence Directorate head Hussein al-Salama, Secretary General of the Presidency Maher al-Sharaa, advisor to the foreign minister Ibrahim al-Olabi and Head of the Foreign Minister’s Office Mohsen Mahbash.The delegation held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, met with Defense Minister Andrey Belousov and was received by President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. The Syrian Foreign Ministry subsequently emphasized that this meeting serves as a groundwork for beginning the process of restoring Syrian-Russian relations, strengthening the regional balance, and expanding the capabilities of the Syrian state.

On October 13, during a meeting with journalists from Arab countries, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Syria would like to maintain Russian military bases in the country, but may repurpose them for different tasks amid new realities.