“Strategic partnerships” between Syria and Ukraine will be established at the political, economic, social and scientific levels, the new Syrian Foreign Minister, Assaad Hassan al Chibani, said on Monday, as Kyiv strives to create ties with Syria's new leaders amid weakening Russian influence.
The de facto leader of the Syria, Ahmed Hussein al-Charaaalso known by his nom de guerre Abou Mohammed al Joulanimet in Damascus with a high-ranking Ukrainian delegation, led by the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andriy Sybiha. “It is certain that the Syrian people and the Ukrainian people have the same experience and the same suffering that we endured for 14 years”said Assaad Hassan al Chibani, drawing a parallel between the brutal Syrian civil war that began in 2011 and Russia's invasion of Ukrainian territory in 2022. Andriy Sybiha said that Ukraine would send more shipments of food aid in Syria after the arrival of 20 loads of flour on Tuesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that Ukraine had sent 500 tons of wheat flour to Syria in cooperation with the United Nations World Food Program.
Military bases
A global producer and exporter of grains and oilseeds, Ukraine has declared its desire to restore relations with Syria after the overthrow of President Bashar al Assadnow exiled in Russia. The Eastern European country, which has been fighting Russian invasion forces for almost three years, traditionally exports wheat and corn to Middle Eastern countries, but not to Syria, a country close to Russia under the Assad regime and which imported Russian goods. Through complex financial and logistical arrangements, Russia had supplied wheat to Syria, circumventing Western sanctions imposed on both Moscow and Damascus. Russian deliveries to Syria, however, were suspended after Assad's fall, partly due to uncertainty surrounding the new government in Damascus and payment delays, Russian and Syrian sources told Reuters earlier this month. December.
The ouster of Assad by Syrian rebel forces also calls into question the future of military bases Russians in Syria. According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the status of Russian military bases would be the subject of negotiations with the new leaders in Damascus. Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa said this month that Syria's relations with Russia must serve common interests.
