UPDATE - Syrian defense, foreign ministers meet with senior Russian delegation on military cooperation

REVISES HEADLINE, LEDE, ADDS DECK, DETAILS

By Lina Altawell and Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) - Senior Syrian officials held talks Wednesday in Damascus with a high-level Russian delegation on military cooperation, Russia’s military presence in Syria and broader bilateral ties, according to Syrian statements.

Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani met with the delegation, which included Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-bek Yevkurov, Presidential Adviser Igor Levitin and Housing Minister Irek Faizullin, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The talks focused on issues of shared interest, particularly Russia’s military presence in Syria and prospects for strengthening military cooperation within existing coordination frameworks, said the ministry, adding that discussions also covered ways to enhance cooperation in economic and development sectors.

In a separate statement, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said Abu Qasra also met with Yevkurov in the presence of army Chief of Staff Ali Noureddine al-Naasan and several senior military commanders. The meeting addressed military cooperation and mechanisms to develop it in a way that strengthens relations between the two countries.

Earlier, Syria’s Defense Ministry said the Russian delegation’s visit will last several days and aims to develop and strengthen military cooperation in line with the shared interests of Damascus and Moscow.

The visit comes after Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow for the second time one week earlier.

Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in December 2024, ending the Baath Party’s regime, which had been in power since 1963. A new transitional administration led by Sharaa was formed in January 2025.