Syrian jihadist leader discusses future with Russia

Russia’s Khmeimim and Tartus bases, leased until 2066, are still operating in Syria

The head of the Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS) jihadist group Abu Mohammed al-Julani said that it is possible for Syria to have a relationship with Russia if Moscow works towards doing so. 

Al-Julani said that “Syrian leadership was keen to avoid provoking Russia,” speaking in an interview on Friday on the Istanbul-based Syria TV channel.

The situation in Syria deteriorated in a two-week period in November, when militants led by HTS launched an offensive against the country’s troops, taking over major cities and ending up in Damascus. After the collapse of the Syrian military, Assad fled the country and was granted asylum in Russia.

Al-Julani also claimed the new Syrian government is willing to give Russia “the opportunity to re-evaluate the relationship with Syria in a way that serves common interests.” He emphasized that this moment requires “careful management” of relations with other countries.

Moscow and the Syrian militants are currently discussing “maintaining Russia’s presence in Syria, and its previous status,” according to TASS sources believed to be familiar with the negotiations. In a report written on Friday, the agency claimed that Moscow “has secured temporary security guarantees, so the military bases are operating as usual.”

The Khmeimim Air Base and a logistics support center in Tartus are located in the western part of the country along the Mediterranean coast. In 2017, Moscow and Damascus agreed to station Russian troops at these bases for 49 years.

After militant groups took control of Damascus, the fate of the Khmeimim and Tartus bases came under question. However, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, Russian diplomats have already discussed these issues with the HTS political committee.