by Admin
Dec 8, 2024
Russia has opened its arms to Syria’s deposed president Bashar Assad and his family less than 24 hours after the Syrian rebels seized power in a bloody crackdown against Assad and his government. Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Russian government, announced that the Kremlin has officially granted permission for the asylum of Assad and he is currently under the protection of the Russian government.
Dmitry Peskov disclosed this on Monday while speaking to journalists in Moscow, he said “Of course, such decisions cannot be made without the head of state. It is a presidential decision”. He hinted that the decision to grant asylum to the ousted Syrian president was a sole decision made by President Vladimir Putin.
President Assad fled his country after Syrian rebels in a swift offensive took major cities in the country including Aleppo and Damascus within days after a failed counter offensive was announced by the Russian forces to prevent a possible takeover by the Syrian rebels.
In a statement on the state of Russian military bases in Syria, the Kremlin Spokesman said that “This is all a subject for discussion with those who will be in power in Syria,” adding that the Russian government has no intention to interfere in the transition of power and also look forward to a diplomatic dialogue in seeking the protection of the Russian troops stationed in Syria.
The Tartous facility is Russia’s only Mediterranean repair and replenishment hub, and the Russian military has used the aircraft base as a staging post to fly its military personnel in and out of countries to Africa. Russian forces are currently in the Central African Republic (CAR), Mali, Burkina Faso and Sudan.
The Kremlin spokesman further confirmed that the change in the Syrian government will not affect the Kremlin’s plans for broader international expansion, he said “We see the situation around Ukraine, we see many contradictory statements in this regard, we see a growing conflict potential in other regions, we can say the burning Middle East.”
Dmitry Peskov disclosed that Moscow was in contact with Turkey and other regional players on the situation in Syria and that Russia was ready for dialogue with all countries of the region in the face of the instability that lies ahead.
Prodesq political analyst, Temitope Oladeji explains why Russia offered Asylum to President Assad and his family in such a short period of time, Temitope explained that the relationship between Vladimir Putin and Assad goes way back when a bloody civil war broke out in Syria in 2011 which threatened to end the Assad government.
The intervention from Vladimir Putin helped restore peace and security in the country with Russian forces fighting at the forefront against ISIS and other rebel factions. Vladimir Putin in 2012 publicly stated he regretted not taking preventive actions to protect former Libyan leader Mohammed Gadaffi after armed rebels stormed his compound and publicly killed him. This is one of the major reasons why he secretly orchestrated the escape of Assad and his family from suffering the same fate as Gadaffi.
What awaits Assad in Russia is currently unknown but he is currently under the protection of the Kremlin.