Russian delegation in Syria as Moscow scrambles to secure military presence
The visit marks the first since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, who had been Moscow's key ally in Syria.
A Russian delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov arrived in Syria on Tuesday, in the first such visit since the fall of Russia’s ally Bashar al-Assad last month.
The delegation also includes Russia’s special presidential envoy for Syria, Alexander Lavrentyev, Russia's TASS state news agency reported.
Earlier on Tuesday, a Russian source told the Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awsat paper that the delegation will hold talks with Syria’s new rulers, including Ahmed al-Sharaa, the country’s de facto leader and head of the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group that led the offensive against government forces in late November.
The same source revealed that the talks between the two sides will focus on “building the foundations for future relations between the two countries.”
