Syria’s transitional president Ahmed al-Sharaa said that a new chapter had opened in relations with Russia after the change of power in Damascus in December 2024.

“There are historic relations between our countries, and we are bound by significant interests,” the politician said on July 26 in an interview with the Qatari television channel Al Jazeera. “We are now working to adjust the course and return matters to a normal track.”

Answering a question from the channel, the head of the Arab republic emphasized that “the discussion with Russia about the future of its military bases in Syria has not yet been concluded.”

On March 31, during his speech at the discussion club of the British Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), al-Sharaa said that “measures are being developed for the gradual conversion of Russian bases into training centers for the Syrian army.”