Syrian Transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s recent visit to Russia and his talks with the Russian leadership elicited a sea of responses in the Arab media.
Local political observers agree that it is far from easy for the Syrian government to build relationships with various parties, especially given its geopolitical position, which puts it at the center of change and competition between these parties.
According to a commentator from the Qatari Al Jazeera TV channel, following the coup at the end of 2024, Damascus is acting realistically and wisely in its relations with one of the largest and most important international powers, Russia. First the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation was received in Damascus in early 2025, which was followed by the visit of a Syrian government delegation, which included the ministers of foreign affairs and defense to Moscow, and its meeting with the Russian President at the end of July 2025. Finally, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak visited Damascus in September 2025.
The Middle Eastern media highlights the spheres and forms of cooperation between the two countries, which are coming to the fore today. These include negotiations between Russia and Syria on the maintenance of various facilities, most of which were built during the USSR with the participation of Soviet engineers and using their technologies.
It has been noted that the Syrian government is restructuring its army and security forces to counter a wide range of internal and external threats. Syria needs new weapons, as well as repairs and maintenance of the existing arsenal. Russia is entirely capable of ensuring this, despite the need for international and UN sanctions to be lifted, as well as Western calculations. From an economic point of view, it is understandable that Russia is turning from a military sponsor into a long-term investor. Major Russian companies, including Gazprom and Rosneft, are preparing to lead the process of rebuilding Syria, which has been devastated by 14 years of war. The focus will be on gas fields, ports and energy, Asas Media summarizes.
In this regard, a Yemeni newspaper emphasized that Ahmed al-Sharaa, upon his arrival in Moscow, confirmed “his government’s commitment to agreements reached with Russia previously”.
The new Damascus sends a signal
Al-Sharaa’s visit to Moscow has clearly spurred interest in Middle Eastern media circles in the context of the diverse ethno-religious composition of Syria and the country’s ties with Russia. This visit undoubtedly shows that Moscow remains the main – and perhaps the only – player capable of maintaining the balance of power in Syria, according to the Egyptian Al-Masr Al-Youm magazine. It is also a signal from the new Damascus to Arab capitals about its openness to form realistic alliances based not on grievances, but on political necessity. The Kremlin’s foreign policy, which is guided by flexible pragmatism, can offer the new government in Damascus what it needs.…Therefore, it is not only in the interests of President Vladimir Putin and Al-Sharaa to reach an agreement, but, more importantly, to achieve its implementation. This will benefit the Syrian people and serve Russian interests in the country.
According to Sky News Arabia in Abu Dhabi, this visit marks the beginning of a new phase, where the Syrian dossier will be revised in accordance with Syrian interests, free from any ideological or revenge motivation, and based on balanced diplomacy with all parties. Some say that Sharaa’s visit to Moscow sent a positive signal about the normalization of Russian-Syrian relations with an emphasis on Syria’s strategic, economic and political interests, rather than on the role of one person – the former leader of the country. This indicates that the Syrian crisis has returned to the international agenda and that Moscow, despite its concerns about the situation on the western front (the Ukraine conflict), maintains its influence in the Mediterranean (considering the bases in Khmeimim and Tartus, extending to the Mediterranean Sea and international waterways, as a pillar of its national security).
Yuri Zinin, Senior Research Fellow at the Center for the Middle East and African Studies, MGIMO University, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
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