Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara hailed a reset in ties with Russia on Wednesday during a visit to Moscow, which once went to war for the former regime in Damascus.
Mr Al Shara met President Vladimir Putin on his first official trip to Russia since seizing power from former Kremlin ally Bashar Al Assad late last year. Talks were taking place on the future of two military bases that Russia had leased from the Assad government.
Also hanging over the meeting is the fate of Bashar Al Assad himself, after he was granted asylum in Russia late last year. Syrian authorities last month issued a warrant for his arrest.
“In the new Syria, we are rebuilding relations with all regional and international countries,” Mr Al Shara said. He said Syria “respects all agreements signed with Russia” and shares close ties with the country.
Mr Putin said Russia had “never treated Syria based on political circumstances or special interests”. He said: “We have been guided solely by the interests of the Syrian people.”
Russia has also offered to help rebuild Syria from its civil war, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.
The foreign policy priority of the post-Assad order has been to improve ties with the United States, with help from Turkey and Saudi Arabia. In Riyadh in May, Mr Al Shara met US President Donald Trump, who partially lifted US sanctions on Syria.
Tensions with Israel have also eased, after a wave of Israeli attacks on Syrian military targets in July. However, US efforts for a security deal between the two countries have stalled. The presence of Uighur fighters in Syria has also curbed development of ties with China, which had supported the old regime.
The visit to Moscow is only for one day and the talks would centre on the future of the two Russian military bases in Syria, a Syrian official said.
Mr Al Shara did not directly mention the bases in brief televised remarks at the start of the meeting, but spoke of the “historic ties” between the countries and the importance of developing them.
Mr Putin, in turn, described Syria's parliamentary elections earlier this month as a “big success” that would help consolidate society.
Mr Al Shara's Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) rebel group toppled the Assad regime after an 11-day offensive last December, forcing the former president and his top lieutenants to flee to Moscow.
Russia intervened in the Syrian civil war in 2015, bombing swathes of rebel areas, to prevent the collapse of the regime as Mr Al Shara's forces advanced on the Alawite coastal heartland whose inhabitants underpinned the former system.
In January, Mr Al Shara demanded at a meeting in Damascus that Russia hands over Bashar Al Assad and an estimated $2 billion in liquid assets held by the exiled dictator's family in Russian banks, sources told The National. Russian officials declined to comment.
The Syrian official would not be drawn on whether Mr Al Shara will renew his demand. However, he said that Moscow “is only concerned with keeping its bases in Syria and will do anything to help achieve this goal”.
Another Syrian source said that Mr Al Shara's visit to Moscow had little to do with the fate of Bashar Al Assad, but was rather about carving out options for Syria. Mr Al Shara, the source said, signalled to Mr Putin that Syria is open to buying military spare parts from Russia and keeping the Russian bases in the country.
"He is playing on the edge," said the source, who noted that Mr Al Shara needs to maintain the support of the US.
Mr Al Shara told CBS in an interview broadcast last week that Syria “will use all legal means possible to demand that Bashar Al Assad be brought to justice”. However, “conflict with Russia right now would be too costly for Syria”, he said.
Russia has a base at Tartous and another outside Latakia in Hmeimim. Both are among the most important warm water ports at Moscow's disposal. Its strategic position in the Middle East, along with that of Iran, the Assad regime's other main backer, took a huge hit when the former president was toppled, to the advantage of the United States and its allies in the region.
In a bid to regain its clout, Moscow was due to host a Russian-Arab summit this week, but Mr Putin said it would be postponed due to the halt of hostilities in Gaza.
Hours after the toppling of the Assad regime, Russian officials stopped describing Mr Al Shara and his commanders as terrorists, opened channels with the new order and condemned Israeli attacks on the post-Assad military and militias loyal to the new government.
Relations continued to improve despite sectarian killing and violence in March against Alawites, many of whom had looked to Moscow for help as their sect lost its dominance in majority Sunni Syria under the Assad government.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday that Syria appeared to have “an interest in maintaining our presence there” but that Moscow's role in the country needed to be “reconfigured”.
Mr Lavrov said his government had granted Syria's deposed president “humanitarian” asylum. He suggested that the former president would have been hacked to death had he remained in Syria, a fate that befell Muammar Qaddafi in Libya.
The former Libyan leader was another ally of Russia who was ousted at the beginning of the Arab uprisings in the past decade.
Last month, a Syrian judge issued an arrest warrant for Mr Al Assad on charges of murder and torture, the first legal action against him by the country he ruled for 24 years. However, doubts are being cast about its efficacy, because the former president might qualify for immunity under current laws.
Syria's new government has captured hundreds of officials and security operatives of the Assad regime in recent months, but not the top echelons, most of whom are in Russia.
Britain's travel restrictions
- A negative test 2 days before flying
- Complete passenger locator form
- Book a post-arrival PCR test
- Double-vaccinated must self-isolate
- 11 countries on red list quarantine
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
If you go…
Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.
Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Glossary of a stock market revolution
Reddit
A discussion website
Redditor
The users of Reddit
Robinhood
A smartphone app for buying and selling shares
Short seller
Selling a stock today in the belief its price will fall in the future
Short squeeze
Traders forced to buy a stock they are shorting
Naked short
An illegal practice
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Remaining Fixtures
Wednesday: West Indies v Scotland
Thursday: UAE v Zimbabwe
Friday: Afghanistan v Ireland
Sunday: Final
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh810,000
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%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20The%20digitisation%20of%20financial%20services%20will%20continue%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Managing%20and%20using%20data%20effectively%20will%20become%20a%20competitive%20advantage%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Digitisation%20will%20require%20continued%20adjustment%20of%20operating%20models%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Banks%20will%20expand%20their%20role%20in%20the%20customer%20life%20through%20ecosystems%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20The%20structure%20of%20the%20sector%20will%20change%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
US PGA Championship in numbers
1 Joost Luiten produced a memorable hole in one at the par-three fourth in the first round.
2 To date, the only two players to win the PGA Championship after winning the week before are Rory McIlroy (2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational) and Tiger Woods (2007, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational). Hideki Matsuyama or Chris Stroud could have made it three.
3 Number of seasons without a major for McIlroy, who finished in a tie for 22nd.
4 Louis Oosthuizen has now finished second in all four of the game's major championships.
5 In the fifth hole of the final round, McIlroy holed his longest putt of the week - from 16ft 8in - for birdie.
6 For the sixth successive year, play was disrupted by bad weather with a delay of one hour and 43 minutes on Friday.
7 Seven under par (64) was the best round of the week, shot by Matsuyama and Francesco Molinari on Day 2.
8 Number of shots taken by Jason Day on the 18th hole in round three after a risky recovery shot backfired.
9 Jon Rahm's age in months the last time Phil Mickelson missed the cut in the US PGA, in 1995.
10 Jimmy Walker's opening round as defending champion was a 10-over-par 81.
11 The par-four 11th coincidentally ranked as the 11th hardest hole overall with a scoring average of 4.192.
12 Paul Casey was a combined 12 under par for his first round in this year's majors.
13 The average world ranking of the last 13 PGA winners before this week was 25. Kevin Kisner began the week ranked 25th.
14 The world ranking of Justin Thomas before his victory.
15 Of the top 15 players after 54 holes, only Oosthuizen had previously won a major.
16 The par-four 16th marks the start of Quail Hollow's so-called "Green Mile" of finishing holes, some of the toughest in golf.
17 The first round scoring average of the last 17 major champions was 67.2. Kisner and Thorbjorn Olesen shot 67 on day one at Quail Hollow.
18 For the first time in 18 majors, the eventual winner was over par after round one (Thomas shot 73).
War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
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The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
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Indian origin executives leading top technology firms
Sundar Pichai
Chief executive, Google and Alphabet
Satya Nadella
Chief executive, Microsoft
Ajaypal Singh Banga
President and chief executive, Mastercard
Shantanu Narayen
Chief executive, chairman, and president, Adobe
Indra Nooyi
Board of directors, Amazon and former chief executive, PepsiCo
Napoleon
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Hales' batting career
Tests 11; Runs 573; 100s 0; 50s 5; Avg 27.38; Best 94
ODIs 58; Runs 1,957; 100s 5; 50s 11; Avg 36.24; Best 171
T20s 52; Runs 1,456; 100s 1; 50s 7; Avg 31.65; Best 116 not out
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
Company%C2%A0profile
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ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY
Starting at 10am:
Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang
Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)
Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)
Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera
Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
The specs: 2018 Renault Koleos
Price, base: From Dh77,900
Engine: 2.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 170hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 233Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.3L / 100km
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
