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Syrian President Assad Arrives in Moscow, Set to Meet Putin

A photo released by the official Syrian Arab news agency (SANA) on 14 March shows Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (L) and Russia's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Special Representative of the Russian President for the Middle East Mikhail Bogdanov (R), review an honor guard during a welcome ceremony upon the Syrian President's arrival at Vnukovo airport. (SANA/dpa)
A photo released by the official Syrian Arab news agency (SANA) on 14 March shows Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (L) and Russia's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Special Representative of the Russian President for the Middle East Mikhail Bogdanov (R), review an honor guard during a welcome ceremony upon the Syrian President's arrival at Vnukovo airport. (SANA/dpa)
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Syrian President Assad Arrives in Moscow, Set to Meet Putin

A photo released by the official Syrian Arab news agency (SANA) on 14 March shows Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (L) and Russia's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Special Representative of the Russian President for the Middle East Mikhail Bogdanov (R), review an honor guard during a welcome ceremony upon the Syrian President's arrival at Vnukovo airport. (SANA/dpa)
A photo released by the official Syrian Arab news agency (SANA) on 14 March shows Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (L) and Russia's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Special Representative of the Russian President for the Middle East Mikhail Bogdanov (R), review an honor guard during a welcome ceremony upon the Syrian President's arrival at Vnukovo airport. (SANA/dpa)

Syrian President Bashar Assad arrived in Moscow on Tuesday, where he is scheduled to meet top ally Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia is a main backer of Assad and has a broad presence in Syria, where a 12-year uprising-turned-civil war has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population. Moscow has played a pivotal role in fighting back armed opposition groups trying to topple Assad’s government through its military support, and has also aggressively backed Damascus against opponents at the United Nations.

The Kremlin confirmed Tuesday that Putin will meet with Assad on Wednesday — the anniversary of the conflict — in a statement carried by Russia’s state news agency Tass.

According to the statement, “further development of Russian-Syrian cooperation in the political, trade, economic and humanitarian spheres, as well as the prospects for a comprehensive settlement of the situation in and around Syria,” will be on the agenda.

Assad was received by Putin’s special representative for the Middle East, Mikhail Bogdanov, at Moscow’s Vnukovo international airport.

Prior to a deadly Feb. 6 earthquake that killed 50,000 people in Türkiye and Syria, Russia had been mediating talks to normalize relations between the two quake-hit countries.

Türkiye and Syria have been on opposite sides in Syria’s war for over a decade. Türkiye continues to back armed opposition groups that control a northwestern enclave in northwestern Syria. In December, Moscow hosted surprise talks between the Syrian and Turkish defense ministers.

Syria since last summer has recognized the Russian-controlled Luhansk and Donetsk regions in eastern Ukraine as independent and sovereign entities.

The Syrian, Turkish and Russian deputy foreign ministers as well as a senior adviser to their Iranian counterpart are also set to hold talks Wednesday and Thursday in Moscow to discuss “counterterrorism efforts” in Syria.

Moscow is keen on arranging a meeting between Assad and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to cap its efforts to normalize relations between Türkiye and Syria.

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Cairo May Request Extradition of Qaradawi’s Son from Abu Dhabi

Umayyad Square in Damascus (Reuters)
Umayyad Square in Damascus (Reuters)
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Cairo May Request Extradition of Qaradawi’s Son from Abu Dhabi

Umayyad Square in Damascus (Reuters)
Umayyad Square in Damascus (Reuters)

As Lebanese authorities proceed with the deportation of Egyptian activist Abdel Rahman al-Qaradawi, the son of the late cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi, to the United Arab Emirates, an Egyptian source involved in the case told Asharq Al-Awsat that Cairo plans to formally request his extradition from Abu Dhabi once he arrives there.

Controversy has surrounded the case since Lebanon announced that the government had approved the deportation of Qaradawi to the UAE instead of Egypt, where he holds citizenship.

Former Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour explained to Asharq Al-Awsat that citizenship is not an obstacle in extradition cases between countries, saying that a state may decide to extradite a person to another country even if they hold the nationality of a third state, as in the case of Qaradawi’s son.

According to Lebanese sources, the decision to extradite Qaradawi to the UAE is based on a warrant issued by the Council of Arab Interior Ministers. As a member of the council, Lebanon is obligated to comply with the UAE’s request, despite the absence of a direct bilateral extradition agreement between the two countries.

Additionally, the extradition decision was influenced by the fact that the charges against Qaradawi are criminal, not political, as political charges would prevent extradition and instead warrant protection under international conventions.

An Egyptian judicial source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the International Cooperation Office of Egypt’s Public Prosecutor had prepared a comprehensive file containing all rulings issued against Qaradawi to ensure that the extradition request met all legal requirements. This file was sent to Lebanese judicial authorities through official channels. However, Egypt has yet to receive a response from Lebanon, though one is expected in the coming days.

Dr. Mohammed Mahmoud Mehran, a member of the American and European societies for international law, told Asharq Al-Awsat that international law generally allows extradition when the individual is either a citizen of the requesting state, has committed a crime on its territory, or when the requesting state has a direct legal interest in the case.

As Qaradawi is an Egyptian citizen, Egypt “has the legal right to request his extradition under international law and bilateral agreements, provided all legal conditions are met,” Mehran said.

Meanwhile, Qaradawi’s lawyer, Mohammed Sablouh, confirmed plans to file an urgent appeal in Lebanese courts to prevent his client’s extradition, according to Reuters. Mehran explained that extradition laws grant the individual the right to appeal in court, while the requesting states also have the right to challenge decisions.

Mehran suggested that if Qaradawi is ultimately handed over to the UAE, it is highly likely he will later be extradited to Egypt after procedural requirements in the Emirates are fulfilled. This is due to the strong bilateral relations and close security coordination between Egypt and the UAE.

Abdel Rahman al-Qaradawi, who holds dual Egyptian and Turkish citizenship, was arrested in Lebanon on December 28 after returning from Syria. His arrest followed an Interpol red notice issued based on an in absentia ruling by an Egyptian court sentencing him to five years in prison for spreading false news, inciting violence, and terrorism. Before his arrest, Qaradawi appeared in a video filmed at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, where he made remarks considered offensive to both Egypt and the UAE.