“The presence of Russian troops in Syria has no reason to exist”, according to the transitional government

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The spokesperson for Syria's new transitional government has called on Russia to reconsider its presence in the country now that its ally, President Bashar al-Assad, has been toppled.

Russia has two military bases in Syria: the Khmeimim air base, near the port city of Latakia, and the Tartus naval base, on the Mediterranean coast. They are considered one of the Kremlin's most strategically important military outposts.

The Tartus site is particularly important, as it provides Russia with its only direct access to the sea and a base for conducting naval exercises, stationing warships and even hosting nuclear submarines.

On Monday, a convoy of Russian military vehicles was spotted in the coastal city of Latakia and heading south towards the city of Tartus.

Western analysts and intelligence services say the Kremlin is carrying out a large-scale withdrawal from Syriaalthough Moscow has not yet confirmed.

Obeida Arnaout, spokesperson for the new transitional Syrian government of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTC) rebel group, said Russia's recent moves in Syria were ambiguous.

He pointed out that their decision to withdraw navy ships from ports and move military vehicle fleets from bases does not make it clear whether the Kremlin is actually withdrawing, or whether this is part of their regular movements.

“Their interests were linked to the criminal Assad regime. [La Russie] can reconsider its position and take the initiative to reach out to the new administration to show that it has no animosity towards the Syrian people and that the era of the Assad regime is finally over.”added Obeida Arnaout.

Furthermore, the spokesperson affirmed that the new government has held discussions at the highest level with many countries around the world. Speaking to Arab media, he stressed that Syria had entered a new phase, one focused on repairing decades of internal divisions and nearly 14 years of brutal fighting.

He went on to say that Syria's new policy is one of openness, an approach that seeks to build good relationships with neighbors and the rest of the world.

On Saturday, the United States publicly confirmed, for the first time, its participation in talks with HTC, and the United Kingdom confirmed similar action the following day.

On Monday, the European Union also announced that it was taking the first step towards making contact with the rebel group. This is the clearest indication yet of the European Union's desire to begin normalizing relations with the HTC.

“I have instructed a senior European diplomat in Syria to travel to Damascus to establish contacts with the new government and the local population“, said Kaja Kallas, the new EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, before heading to a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, where the future of the Syria was one of the main items on the agenda.

Is a change in the HTC's terrorist designation on the horizon?

HTC has been on the United Nations blacklist of terrorist organizations since 2014 due to its past alliance with Al-Qaeda. All 27 members of the EU follow this designation.

But the HTC hopes that countries will quickly abandon this designation. Mr. Arnaout believes that labeling the HTC as such is not “neither fair nor exact”. He said the group's new operations were focused on unity and justice and urged the EU, US, UK and other countries to reconsider the classification.

Asked about the possibility of the European Union revising the designation of terrorists to facilitate diplomacy, the High Representative said: “For us, it's not just about words, but we want to see actions going in the right direction. So it's not just about what they say, but also what they do.” , emphasized Kaja Kallas. She added: “I think the coming weeks and months will show whether this is going in the right direction.”

Concerns about HTC's 'reformed' approach

Since the overthrow of the Assad regime, HTC has positioned itself as the main force in the new political era, appointing an interim prime minister to administer a transitional government until March 2025. The group has also promised to pass the war-torn country from a state-controlled economy to a market economy in order to attract investors.

However, HTC remains plagued by accusations of human rights violationsincluding alleged executions for blasphemy and adultery under a strict, and sometimes extreme, interpretation of Islamic law. This context has raised doubts about the ability of rebel forces to guarantee pluralism and tolerance after the fall of Assad.

Syria is a very diverse country, populated by Sunni Muslims, who make up more than 70% of the population, Shia Muslims, Alawites, Christians and ethnic minorities such as Druze, Iraqis, Armenians, Assyrians. , the Kurds and the Palestinians.