President Al-Assad’s Visit to Moscow Reflects Confidence in his Position, Russia’s Importance

CAPITALS-President Bashar al-Assad’s visit to Moscow and his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin has been in the spotlight of media and political experts.

In New York, Vice-President of Washington-based Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Aaron David Miller said Syria’s President Bashar Assad’s visit to Moscow “reflects both a renewed confidence in his own position at home and the importance of the Russian connection.

 After Russia had begun delivering air strikes on the so-called “Islamic State” (ISIL) terrorist group in Syria three weeks ago, the country “has the will and the assets on the ground to exert major influence” in the Middle East, the expert said in an article posted in The Wall Street Journal online magazine on Wednesday.

Miller said that Russia’s consistent goals are to support Syria and counter ISIL.

He added that Russia “is in this for the long term and will be playing in this arena long after Obama leaves office.”

Washington’s and Moscow’s different approaches to the crisis in Syria are “testament to the marginalization of the US role and influence in the region,” the expert said.

 Evident of trust in Russia

In Yerevan, the ARMENPRESS news agency said “Assad’s visit to Moscow is evident of trust in Russia.

“Russian warplanes have been bombing terrorist positions in Syria since September 30. That inspires hopes of the Syrian people, including the Armenian population in Syria, that the conflict will be settled and that peace and stability will be established in the country,” ARMENPRESS went on to say.

Meanwhile in Beijing, China’s Xinhua news agency said in a commentary on Wednesday, that President al-Assad’s visit to Moscow reflects the degree of support for his administration in Russia.

Rare visit

“The rare visit holds its significance as it constitutes another sign of how far the Russians are willing to support President Al-Assad’s administration,” the report says. The Zhongguo Xinwen She (China News Service) agency also said that the Syrian president’s visit to Moscow is exceptional.

President Assad’s visit to Moscow may launch new dialogue in Syria — Russian expert

Symbolic

In the Russian city of Sochi, Vitaly Naumkin, director of the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Oriental Studies, told TASS that Al-Assad’s visit to Moscow shows that Russia has managed to stabilize the situation in Syria making it possible for Damascus to discuss the post-war setup of the Syrian state.

Naumkin was speaking Wednesday on the sidelines of the 2015 Valdai International Discussion Club which is meeting in Sochi.

“This visit is symbolic. It shows that Russia has managed to radically stabilize the situation and succeed in what its western partners have failed to achieve over their yearlong military operation,” Naumkin said.

“It shows that we can afford doing that and that we are working with the legitimate government rather than with some groups, which do not represent anybody,” the Russian expert went on to say.

Agencies

Hamda Mustafa