Exhibition of photos and documents held in Moscow on the 80th anniversary of the establishment of Syrian-Russian relations

MOSCOW, JUL.20, (ST)- On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the establishment of relations between Syria and Russia, an exhibition of photographs and documents from the archives of the Russian Foreign Ministry on the stages of bilateral cooperation relations, from the first telegram of establishment of diplomatic relations to photographs taken at recent bilateral meetings between the two countries, was opened at the headquarters of the Ministry yesterday.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the exhibition, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russian-Syrian diplomatic relations were established on July 21, 1944 during World War II at a time when the world was going through difficult circumstances, and stressed that Syria and Russia are today at the forefront of the struggle to achieve a fair and multipolar world.

Lavrov said that Syria is our reliable and timeless ally and an important partner in the international arena, and thanks to our joint efforts we were able to eliminate  international terrorism on Syrian territory.

He added that  Syrian people are interested in learning the Russian language as more than 36,000 Syrian students are currently studying it, asserting that the Russian side will make every effort to help develop relations in this field of education.

For his part, Syrian Ambassador in Moscow Bashar Al-Jaafari declared that Russia’s decision to choose Damascus as the regional headquarters of the “Lovers of Russia” organization was not random because relations between the two friendly countries have been characterized by close cooperation in various fields since the Soviet Union first used its veto in the Security Council on February 16, 1946 to thwart a French draft resolution to impose conditions on the Syrian demand on withdrawing the French and British forces from Lebanon and Syria.

He clarified that Syria and Egypt were the first two countries to break the Western monopoly on arms sales and concluded agreements to import Soviet weapons instead of buying them from the West.

The Syrian ambassador highlighted the implementation of several strategic projects in Syria, including the Euphrates Dam, the Baath and Tishreen power plants, the expansion of about two thousand kilometers of railway lines, the development of ports, water resources, maritime transport and marine exploration projects.

He said: “There is extensive cooperation in the field of training Syrian cadres at Russian universities and institutes, and over the past thirty years, the two countries have signed more than 100 agreements, protocols and memorandums of understanding.”

He added that there is a joint high committee that regulates relations between the two countries, and these relations have reached the stage of a strategic alliance, and this was reflected during military cooperation to fight terrorism in Syria in 2015, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

Basma Qaddour