The first Russian official delegation to visit Syria since the toppling of Moscow ally Bashar al-Assad has arrived in Damascus, Russian news agencies reported Tuesday.
The delegation includes deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who is also President Vladimir Putin's special representative on the Middle East and Africa, as well as Alexander Lavrentiev, the president's special representative on Syria, the RIA Novosti agency reported.
It said it was "the first visit by Russian officials to Damascus" since Assad fled in December in the face of a lightning opposition advance across the country.
Moscow was one of Assad's key backers, intervening in Syria's civil war in 2015 in his favor. He and his family fled to Russia after his ouster.
Russia is now seeking to secure the fate of its naval base in Tartus and its air base at Hmeimim - both on Syria's Mediterranean coast and Moscow's only military outposts outside the former Soviet Union - with the new Syrian authorities.
The group led by Syria's interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa - Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) - is banned in Russia as a "terrorist" organization.
The organization is rooted in Al-Qaeda's Syria branch but has more recently adopted a moderate tone.
Sharaa in December noted the "deep strategic interests between Russia and Syria" in an interview with the Al-Arabiya TV channel.
"All Syria's arms are of Russian origin, and many power plants are managed by Russian experts... We do not want Russia to leave Syria in the way that some wish," Sharaa added.
US and Ukrainian diplomats visited Syria's new rulers in December.
