Hamas sees Russia visit as means to end regional isolation
Hamas political bureau leader Khaled Meshaal will visit Moscow in the coming weeks, where he is expected to ask Russia to help restore Hamas' ties with Iran and to pressure Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to soften his opposition to the Islamist movement.
Hamas spokesman Hossam Badran announced May 25 that the head of the movement’s political bureau, Khaled Meshaal, would visit Russia this month. Meshaal received an invitation during his meeting with Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov in Qatar in May.
The upcoming visit comes as Hamas suffers from regional isolation, and desires to break the political embargo against it.
Badran told Al-Monitor by phone, “The visit aims to develop Hamas’ foreign relations and bolster the reconciliation with Fatah, which Moscow considered to be a positive development. Furthermore, the movement believes in the need to keep the lines of communication open with Russia, because the latter is a superpower possessing a great deal of influence on the situation in the region, and is the only member of the Quartet that was not boycotting Hamas.”
Russia’s recognition and acceptance of Hamas is a breakthrough for the movement that has suffered international isolation in recent years.
