Syria's New Leader on Relations with Russia

After the downfall of Bashar Assad, Syria's new authorities do not want to spoil their relationship with Russia. This was stated by Ahmad al-Shara, the leader of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, known as Syria's current de facto leader, in an interview with Al Arabiya television.

“We do not want Russia's withdrawal from Syria to disrupt the relationship between our country and Russia,” said al-Shara. He declared that Damascus has strategic interests with Moscow, calling Russia a significantly important country, the second most powerful in the world.