““All Syrian weapons are of Russian origin, and many power plants are managed by Russian specialists””, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
“Syria cannot exist without relations with such an important regional country as Iran,” Sharaa said.
But relations “should be based on respect for the sovereignty of both countries and non-interference in the affairs of both countries,” he added.
Russia and Iran were Syria’s main allies under the regime of President Bashar al-Assad until the totalitarian leader was toppled by rebels in early December.
Sharaa called on Tehran to rethink its regional policy and pointed out that opposition forces had defended Iranian positions during the fight to oust Assad, even though the rebels knew Iran was the president’s main supporter. He said that he expected positive steps from Iran after these actions, but did not wait for them.
Sharaa also said that while he expects Moscow to withdraw its troops from Syria, he also mentioned “deep strategic interests” with “the second most powerful country in the world.”
“We don’t want Russia to leave Syria in a way that undermines its relations with our country,” the Syrian leader said.
“All Syrian weapons are of Russian origin, and many power plants are run by Russian specialists…. We do not want Russia to leave Syria as some want,” he added.
Sharaa also said that it could take up to four years to organize elections in the country and three years to draft a new constitution.
At the beginning of December, the regime of Bashar Assad was overthrown in Syria, and the power passed to the forces of the rebels, led by the Islamist organization “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham”. Assad and his family, who ruled Syria as a dynasty for more than 50 years, were forced to flee to Russia.
After the overthrow of the Assad regime, Russia is reducing its military presence in Syria and moving part of its assets from the Middle Eastern country to Africa.
To compensate for the potential loss of the Khmeimim air base and the Tartus naval base, Russia appears to be increasing its presence in Libya, Mali and Sudan, although experts say the loss of the Syrian bases is a major blow to the Kremlin.