Syrian Embassy in Moscow holds central celebration marking the 80th anniversary of establishing the  Syrian-Russian diplomatic relations

The ceremony was attended by the Special Representative of the Russian President for the Middle East and African Countries, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, senior Russian Foreign Ministry officials, Russian civilian and military officials, a number  of Russian social, cultural and religious figures, members of the Federation Council and the State Duma, ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Moscow,  representatives of the Russian and foreign media as well as  a crowd of members of the Syrian community.

In his speech during the ceremony, Bogdanov stressed the importance of Russian-Syrian relations as far as geopolitics are concerned, noting the coordination between the two countries on regional and international issues.

Bogdanov read a message from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in which he reiterated Moscow’s support for Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence.

In turn, the Syrian Ambassador to Russia, Dr. Bashar al-Jaafari, confirmed in his speech that the eightieth anniversary of Syrian-Russian diplomatic relations represents decades and years far beyond the date of their official announcement.

He pointed out that the Russian Federation’s choice of Syria as the regional headquarters for the “Association of Russia Lovers” was not a coincidence, but rather the result of rapprochement on cultural and political issues that exist between the two countries, in addition to the unity of position in the face of Western hegemony, and the war that the two countries are waging  against terrorism.

Al-Jaafari pointed out that diplomatic relations between Damascus and Moscow were established at the height of World War II in defiance of the colonial hegemonic policies that prevailed at the time, stressing that the two countries stand again  on the right side of history in confronting unipolar hegemony and seeking to establish a just global order based on  Polarity pluralism.

He  reviewed some of the details of the history of the friendship relationship and the Syrian-Russian alliance, stressing that it is characterized by many facets and is based on mutual respect, deep trust, and the desire to constantly develop it in a way that serves the interests of the two friendly countries and their peoples, and serves independence and the right of peoples to self-determination.

The Syrian ambassador recalled that the Soviet Union was the first to use its veto power in the UN Security Council on February 16, 1946, to drop a French draft resolution that imposed conditions on the Syrian delegation’s demand to the United Nations to withdraw colonial French and British forces from Syria and Lebanon.

Al-Jaafari pointed to the history of the existing economic relations between the two countries, starting with the economic cooperation agreement signed in 1957, and the agreement to invest Syrian oil nationally, passing through the agreement for the Soviet Union in 1966 to begin construction of the Euphrates Dam in Syria, then the Tabqa and Baath Dams.

Al-Jaafari said  that the relations between the two countries deepened in the 1980s and were consolidated with the signing of the “Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation” between the two countries, which resulted in Soviet support for the Syrian Arab Army and supplying it with weapons, advisors and experts, in the year 1980.

He stressed that the joint relations were also hoped for more in our contemporary history, by confronting international terrorism. When the West unleashed its violence against Syria, the Russian ally had no choice but to cooperate with Syria and participate in this war, out of awareness and belief that the threat of terrorism threatens all of humanity.

Ambassador Al-Jaafari stressed that the extended and deeply rooted strategic partnership between the two countries and the two peoples is today experiencing the peak of the relationship of brotherhood, cooperation and strategic alliance during the era of Presidents Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin, indicating that the embassy is keen on permanent communication and maintaining the best relations with Russian friends.