The visit comes as Moscow seeks to secure the fate of two military bases in Syria.
A delegation of Russian officials has arrived in Damascus on the first such visit since Syria’s longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad was toppled by opposition fighters.
Al-Assad, a close ally of Moscow, sought refuge in Russia in December, following a lightning offensive by opposition groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
The delegation includes Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and Alexander Lavrentyev, the Russian president’s special envoy for Syria, the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported on Tuesday.
The delegation is expected to meet with Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, as well as the foreign minister.
The visit comes as Moscow seeks to secure the fate of two military bases in Syria, following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s denial that Moscow had suffered a strategic “defeat” in the Middle East after al-Assad’s fall.
Russia is now focused on securing the future of its naval base in Tartous and its airbase at Khmeimim—both on Syria’s Mediterranean coast and Moscow’s only military outposts outside the former Soviet Union—with the new Syrian leaders.
Reporting from Damascus, Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid said the talks would likely cover potential plans for aid, food imports and the future of the military bases.
“It’s extraordinary that just six weeks ago these two sides were enemies, they were foes. Thousands if not hundreds of thousands of attacks have been carried out between the two of them, and now the group that is not in charge of Syria is now across the table with them,” he said.
“They are going to be discussing future prospects of aid, bringing wheat into Syria, and the future of these bases, both naval and air,” Bin Javaid added.
Russia’s aggressive military intervention in support of al-Assad played a pivotal role in reversing the course of Syria’s more-than-13-year civil war. Moscow was one of al-Assad’s key backers, intervening in the war in 2015 in his favour.
Although Syria’s new de facto government has not severed ties with Moscow or demanded the complete withdrawal of Russian military forces from their bases, Al Watan reported earlier this month that a contract with a Russian company to manage the port in Tartous had been cancelled.
Following al-Assad’s fall, Russia repositioned its troops and assets from across Syria to its main base near Latakia. There has been no indication that Moscow is preparing to evacuate the Khmeimim base or the naval facility in Tartous.
The cancellation of the contract to modernise the Tartous commercial port has not affected the Russian naval facility, which operates under a separate lease agreement.
The Russian delegation’s visit comes amid a flurry of diplomatic activity by the new rulers, aimed at building ties and easing sanctions.
European Union foreign ministers on Monday agreed to begin easing sanctions on Syria starting with key sectors, such as energy.
Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, was received by al-Sharaa on Friday, making his first visit since al-Assad’s overthrow.
