How did the Arab press read the results of the Russian delegation’s visit to Damascus?

On Tuesday morning, The Arab newspapers focused on reading and analyzing the results of the visit of the high-level Russian delegation yesterday, to the Syrian capital, Damascus.

Al-Bayan: Lavrov in Damascus ... a visit that challenges "Caesar's Law"

In this context, Al-Bayan newspaper said: “Moscow confirmed that it seeks to break the "Caesar's Law” sanctions imposed on Damascus, and to assist Syria in reconstruction. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived yesterday in Damascus on his first visit to the Syrian capital since Eight years.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that his government maintains flexibility in dealing with the political process of the prolonged war in the country, according to the official Syrian News Agency (SANA).

This came during al-Assad’s meeting with the visiting Russian delegation to the country, which includes Lavrov and Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov (who arrived Sunday in Damascus). During the meeting, al-Assad stressed that Syria maintains flexibility on the political track, in parallel with working to combat terrorism to achieve security and stability in the country.

On the economic front, the two sides discussed the agreements signed between the two countries and ways to reach new deals to mitigate the negative repercussions of Western sanctions on Syria. Syrian sources told the German news agency: “Al-Assad confirmed that Syria is interested in the success of Russian investments, and all issues were discussed to reach an acceptable solution.”

Borisov said: “Moscow is trying to help Syria break an economic blockade caused by the new US sanctions, which prevent the flow of foreign investment into the Syrian economy, and added: The sanctions known as (Caesar Act) do not allow "to attract investment to the Syrian economy, and in fact, this is a blockade, and a destructive position on the part of the United States and Western countries, we are making joint efforts to break it.”

Al-Sharq al-Awsat: Russian-Syrian consensus against sanctions ... and a disagreement over the Kurds

Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper considered that although the two sides agreed to face sanctions, there is a disagreement in other files, and said: “The discussions of the Russian delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Damascus resulted in consensus between the two sides to confront US and European sanctions. Amid differences over how to deal with the Kurdish file in Syria.

President Bashar al-Assad said during his meeting with the Russian delegation that Damascus and Moscow “succeeded in achieving progress in achieving a mutually acceptable solution in many issues,” stressing that Syria “attaches great importance to the success of Russian investments in the country.”

He praised the "continuous Russian support" in terms of combating terrorism, politically and economically, noting that this particularly concerns "issues related to the sanctions imposed on Russian companies operating in Syria," and promised to provide "political flexibility."

In a joint press conference, Borisov confirmed that the two sides reached cooperation agreements in the rehabilitation of about forty important Syrian facilities, and said that the two parties discussed pushing the "road map" to develop economic and commercial cooperation signed in 2018.

On the political front, Lavrov, who is visiting Syria for the first time since 2012, noted that the current visit "is devoted to discussing the future prospects for the relationship after many common goals have been achieved."

A divergence in the positions of the two sides emerged when Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem was asked about his position on the Kurdish administration’s agreement with the "Moscow platform" recently, as he said that "any agreement that contradicts the Syrian constitution we do not support" while Lavrov defended the agreement.

Al-Arab: What is the price required of Assad to pay this time to save him from Caesar?

As for Al-Arab newspaper, it was considered that the press conference of the two sides focused on talking on the economic side, but what was hidden was greater, and said: “The economic aspects and ways to confront Western, especially American sanctions, dominated the talks that the high-level Russian delegation held with Syrian officials in Damascus, on Monday, according to What is declared. "

Political circles say that focusing on the economic situation in the areas of government control in Syria, despite its importance, does not mean at all that the political aspects have been overlooked, especially in relation to the work of the Constitutional Committee, otherwise the visit of the Russian delegation would have been restricted to Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov.

The circles indicate that "Lavrov's visit was mainly aimed at pressuring Damascus regarding the need to show seriousness regarding the work of the Constitutional Committee charged with drafting a new constitution for the country, and it seems that the Russian minister succeeded in achieving this goal in terms of affirming his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Muallem that they have no objection to it," But the confusion remains Damascus’s dissatisfaction with Russia’s acquiescence with Turkey in northwestern Syria, as well as the Kurds in the northeast, which would lead to the fragmentation of the country.

This explains, according to those circles, Lavrov's emphasis during the press conference with al-Muallem on his country's adherence to Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, in what appeared to be an attempt to reassure the regime.

Lavrov and his accompanying delegation met with President Bashar al-Assad and Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem, amid observers' questions about the price that the Syrian regime must pay this time to save it from Caesar’s guillotine after Moscow had the credit for saving it in 2015 from a military collapse.

T/S

ANHA