DAMASCUS, Oct 15 — Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa is set to request the extradition of former ruler Bashar al-Assad from Russia during his first official visit to Moscow on Wednesday, a government official said.
DAMASCUS, Oct 15 — Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa is set to request the extradition of former ruler Bashar al-Assad from Russia during his first official visit to Moscow on Wednesday, a government official said.
The official, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to brief the media, said, “Sharaa will ask the Russian president to hand over all individuals accused of war crimes who are currently in Russia — most notably Bashar al-Assad.”
Assad, who was ousted from power in December, has been living in exile in Moscow.
According to Syria’s state news agency SANA, Sharaa arrived in Russia on Wednesday for “an official visit to hold discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin on bilateral ties and regional and international developments of mutual concern.”
The official also told AFP on Tuesday that the two leaders are expected to discuss “economic cooperation, investment opportunities, the status of Russian military bases in Syria, and the rearmament of the new Syrian armed forces.”
Russia had been a key ally of Assad throughout Syria’s 14-year civil war, providing diplomatic backing at the UN Security Council and launching a military intervention in 2015 with extensive airstrikes on rebel-held territories.
Despite this history, Syria’s new Islamist-led government has expressed its desire to maintain peaceful relations with Moscow.
The future of Russia’s naval base in Tartus and its air base in Hmeimim remains uncertain following Assad’s ouster. — AFP
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