Syria: Ahmed al-Sharaa vows to pursue criminals in first interim president speech

Also on Wednesday, the Syrian government called on Russia to address “past mistakes” by paying war reparations, during the first visit by a top Kremlin delegation since the fall of Assad, its staunch ally.

Sharaa and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov discussed “rebuilding trust with the Syrian people through concrete measures such as compensation, reconstruction and recovery”, Sana reported.

The Russian foreign ministry said its delegation expressed “unwavering support” for Syria’s unity and readiness to assist its recovery from the civil war.

The Russian military carried out tens of thousands of air strikes on rebel-held areas after intervening in the conflict in support of Assad in 2015. A UK-based monitoring group says more than 21,000 people, including 8,700 civilians, were killed by those strikes and other Russian operations.

Since the fall of the Assad regime, Russia has been withdrawing troops and weapons from its two bases on Syria’s Mediterranean coast – Hmeimim airbase near Latakia and the naval base in Tartous.

Recent satellite photos analysed by BBC Verify showed that two Russian warships were docked at Tartous, which experts said suggested an evacuation of the facility had begun.

However, Russia is believed to be seeking to retain both bases, which give it a strategically important foothold in the eastern Mediterranean.

Following the Russian delegation’s visit to Damascus, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow: “That was an important trip, and the contacts were important, too, because it is necessary to establish and maintain a constant dialogue with Syria.”

When asked about reports that the Syrian government had requested Assad’s extradition and war reparations in return, he replied: “I leave this without any comments. We will continue further dialogue with the Syrian authorities.”

In the interview with Al Arabiya, Sharaa noted the “deep strategic interests between Russia and Syria” and said he did not want Russia to leave “in a way that undermines its relationship with our country”.

“All of Syria’s arms are of Russian origin, and many power plants are managed by Russian experts,” he added.

Additional reporting by Lina Sinjab in Damascus