Putin’s Message to Syria’s Al-Sharaa: A Step Toward Restoring Ties?

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov in Damascus at the end of January (RT)
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov in Damascus at the end of January (RT)
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Putin’s Message to Syria’s Al-Sharaa: A Step Toward Restoring Ties?

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov in Damascus at the end of January (RT)
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov in Damascus at the end of January (RT)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a message to his Syrian counterpart, Ahmad al-Sharaa, the Kremlin announced on Thursday, underscoring its significance in both timing and content against the backdrop of recent developments in Syria’s coastal regions and mounting challenges to the country's leadership.

The message comes as Damascus navigates efforts to bolster internal stability and expand engagement with regional and international players.

According to the Kremlin, Putin reaffirmed Russia’s readiness to strengthen cooperation with Syrian authorities across all sectors.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the message expressed support for the Syrian leadership’s efforts to “swiftly stabilize the situation in the country while ensuring its sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.”

Peskov did not specify when Putin sent the message to al-Sharaa or whether it was delivered through an envoy. However, his remarks during a daily briefing suggested Putin had sent it on Wednesday.

The letter carried a notable phrasing, reaffirming Moscow’s commitment to “developing practical cooperation with the Syrian leadership across the full spectrum of bilateral issues to further strengthen the traditionally friendly Russian-Syrian relations.”

While the message underscored Putin’s intent to recalibrate ties and establish serious, “practical” cooperation with Damascus, its timing was equally significant.

It followed Syria’s success in containing the fallout from recent unrest in coastal regions—an event that had sparked allegations, albeit indirect, that Moscow had either supported or turned a blind eye to a military move by remnants of the ousted regime.

These claims were fueled by reports that dozens of former Syrian officers had sought refuge in Russia after Bashar al-Assad’s government was toppled.

Russia has not officially responded to allegations that it played a role in recent unrest in Syria’s coastal region.

The Kremlin and the Foreign Ministry have limited their statements to expressing “serious concern” over the turmoil, which later led to arrests and targeted killings of civilians.

A Russian diplomatic source previously told Asharq Al-Awsat that Moscow had no involvement in the events and stressed that Russian authorities do not support any actions that could undermine stability in Syria.

Against this backdrop, Putin’s message appears “deliberate in both tone and timing,” signaling Moscow’s intent to reset ties and usher in a new phase of cooperation aligned with the interests of both sides.



Syrian Govt Visits Notorious Al-Hol Camp for First Time Since Kurds Deal

A view of the Al-Hol camp. (AFP file)
A view of the Al-Hol camp. (AFP file)
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Syrian Govt Visits Notorious Al-Hol Camp for First Time Since Kurds Deal

A view of the Al-Hol camp. (AFP file)
A view of the Al-Hol camp. (AFP file)

A Syrian government delegation visited a notorious camp in the Kurdish-administered northeast that hosts families of suspected ISIS group members, the new authorities' first visit, both sides said Saturday.

Kurdish-run camps and prisons in the northeast hold tens of thousands of people, many with alleged or perceived links to ISIS, more than five years after the group’s territorial defeat in Syria.

Kurdish administration official Sheikhmous Ahmed said "a tripartite meeting was held on Saturday in the Al-Hol camp" that included a government delegation, another from the US-led international coalition fighting ISIS, and Kurdish administration members.

Al-Hol is northeast Syria's largest camp, housing some 37,000 people from dozens of countries, including 14,500 Iraqis, in dire conditions.

Discussions involved "establishing a mechanism for removing Syrian families from Al-Hol camp", Ahmed said.

The visit comes more than two months after interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Mazloum Abdi, head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, agreed to integrate the Kurds' civil and military institutions into the national government.

The deal also involved guaranteeing the return of all Syrians to their hometowns and villages.

No progress has yet been reported on the administration's integration into the new government.

In Damascus, interior ministry spokesperson Noureddine al-Baba told reporters Al-Hol is "part of the agreement" signed by Sharaa and Abdi.

He said the issue requires "a comprehensive societal solution for the families who are victims" of ISIS.

In February, the Kurdish administration said that in coordination with the United Nations, it aimed to empty camps in the northeast of thousands of displaced Syrians and Iraqi refugees, including suspected relatives of extremists, by the end of the year.

Al-Hol includes a high-security section for families of foreign ISIS fighters.

Ahmed said the fate of those families "is linked to the countries that have nationals (in the camp), and to the international coalition", which supported Kurdish-led forces who fought ISIS, detaining its fighters and their relatives.

The Kurds have repeatedly called on countries to repatriate their citizens, but foreign governments have allowed home only a trickle, fearing security threats and a domestic political backlash.

It is unclear who will administer prisons holding thousands of ISIS fighters in the northeast, with Abdi saying in February the new authorities wanted them under Damascus's control.