After Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara visited Moscow last October and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin – this week Putin hosted Syrian Foreign and Defense Ministers Asad al-Sheibani and Marafa Abu Kasra in Moscow.
According to the official Syrian news agency SANA, the talks dealt with “political, military and economic issues of common interest,” as well as “cooperation between the countries in the field of military industries.”
Senior security sources said that although Russia granted political asylum to ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, it is once again increasing its military involvement in the country under al-Shara’s rule – and this time not only as a military force, but also as a major political player.
According to the same sources, Moscow is aiming to return its forces to southern Syria, similar to the situation that prevailed before the fall of the Assad regime. At the same time, Russia has increased its military presence at the Khmeimim air base, which was established during Assad's rule, in recent months. Al-Sharaa, it is claimed, sees the redeployment of Russian forces in the south of the country, near the Golan Heights, as a significant lever to strengthen its positions in negotiations with Israel on a security agreement.