Putin seeks to strengthen ties with Syrian leader al-Sharaa

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a letter to Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known by his nom de guerre Abu Muhamad al-Golani, in which he expressed support for efforts to ensure the territorial integrity of Syria and offered Moscow's "practical cooperation," Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov said per a Reuters report.

As Peskov told reporters, Putin delivered the message to al-Sharaa last Wednesday through an envoy.

In the letter, Putin also reaffirmed Russia's commitment to "develop practical cooperation with the Syrian leadership on the whole range of issues on the bilateral agenda in order to strengthen traditionally friendly Russian-Syrian relations," Peskov said.

The message was sent against the backdrop of high tensions in Syria, due to the fact that recently, members of Hayat Tahrir al-Shams (HTS), the radical Islamist group led by al-Sharaa, has been accused of carrying out torture and assassinations against members of various minorities, including Christians and Alawites, the branch of Shiite Islam to which former President Bashar al-Assad belongs. The former Syrian regime was a close ally of Russia and Turkey, and al-Assad is currently in exile in Moscow.

Although al-Sharaa has been trying to portray a moderate image to the world, has appointed himself as interim president and has stated his intention to form an inclusive government in the future, images of brutal attacks against various minorities in Syria raise doubts about his real objectives.