Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan described Russia’s approach during Syria’s leadership change as pragmatic. He made these remarks during a media briefing in Istanbul attended by a TASS correspondent.
"Russia made its decisions and ultimately concluded that supporting [former Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad no longer served its interests or those of the region. I believe they recognized this quite some time ago. After the fall of Aleppo, there were potential threats. Russia had the military capability to respond, but it chose not to. We maintained close communication on the matter. Honestly, they acted as a rational player," Fidan stated.
He added that Russia "did not intervene during the fall of Damascus" and that "revolutionary forces ensured the safe withdrawal of Russian troops without targeting their bases."
Regarding the future of Russia’s military bases in Syria, Fidan referred to comments made by Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who indicated that the status of these bases would be determined through negotiations. "I think this issue will depend on the negotiation process between the new Syrian administration and Russia. Whatever agreements they reach, we’ll see in due course. But it’s also clear that Russian aircraft and ships have largely withdrawn from their Syrian bases," Fidan concluded.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS