Monday 30 Dec 2024 {HMC} Syria’s de facto new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and other officials have held talks with Ukraine’s foreign minister in one of the most consequential visits since the fall of Bashar al-Assad on December 8.

Syria hopes for “strategic partnerships” with Ukraine, its newly appointed foreign minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, told his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, in Damascus on Monday.

“Certainly the Syrian people and the Ukrainian people have the same experience and the same suffering that we endured over 14 years,” he added, drawing parallels between Syria’s 2011-2024 war and Russia’s seizure of Ukrainian territory in 2014 and culminating in its full-scale 2022 invasion.

Russia was a staunch ally of President al-Assad and has given him political asylum.

“We look forward to mutual recognition of the sovereignty of the two countries so that we can complete diplomatic representation in Syria,” Sybiha said at a news conference after his Ukrainian delegation met the Syrian leaders.

“We believe Ukrainian-Syrian relations will witness great development,” he added.

The visit comes after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that his country had sent its first batch of food aid, 500 tonnes of wheat flour, to Syria. Despite its war with Russia, Ukraine remains one of the world’s top wheat producers.

“Ukraine will remain a linchpin to food security in Syria, even if our country is engaged in a war,” Sybiha said.

Russia had been providing wheat to Syria through intricate financial and logistical mechanisms designed to bypass Western sanctions on both Moscow and Damascus. But according to a report by the Reuters news agency, these shipments have been halted due to uncertainty surrounding the new government in Damascus and delays in payments.

Ukraine, which has been battling invading Russian forces for nearly three years, has said it wants to restore relations with Syria.

“The Russian and Assad regimes supported each other because they were based on violence and torture,” Sybiha said, according to a statement.

“We believe that from a strategic point of view, the removal of Russia’s presence in Syria will contribute to the stability of not only the Syrian state but the entire Middle East and Africa.”

Despite Moscow’s backing for al-Assad, al-Sharaa on Sunday noted the “deep strategic interests between Russia and Syria” in an interview with the Al Arabiya TV channel.

“All Syria’s arms are of Russian origin, and many power plants are managed by Russian experts. … We do not want Russia to leave Syria in the way that some wish,” al-Sharaa added.

Opposition fighters led by al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched an offensive on November 27, which saw them take a number of key cities in quick succession before seizing the capital, Damascus, 11 days later, sending al-Assad fleeing to Russia.

A delicate balance
The Ukrainian visit will be seen as a victory for al-Sharaa as he seeks international recognition, Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra said, reporting from Damascus.

“[It indicates] that the international community is going to give him legitimacy or at least diplomatic recognition.”

For al-Sharaa, the priority is to make sure the new Syrian authorities are “not alienating any key players”, he added.

“They want to have ties with the Russians, the Turks, the Qataris, the Emiratis. … The problem is that some of those don’t see eye to eye,” Ahelbarra said, noting that both the Americans and the Russians have military bases in Syria, “but the two disagree over many issues.”

The ousting of al-Assad has thrown the future of Russia’s military bases in Syria into question. The Tartous naval base and Khmeimim airbase are Russia’s only military outposts outside the former Soviet Union and have been key to the Kremlin’s activities in Africa and the Middle East.

“If Russia loses Syria and its ports in Tartous and Latakia, it would create huge problems for Russian interests also in Africa,” political analyst Dmitry Bridzhe told Al Jazeera, adding that Russia is likely to strike a deal with the United States over its bases once president-elect Trump comes to power.

He said Russia is likely to see the Ukrainian visit as an “extension of the West’s strategy to undermine Russian influence”.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said the status of Russia’s military bases would be the subject of negotiations with the new leadership in Damascus.

“What is clear is that the fight for influence in Syria is on,” Al Jazeera’s Dorsa Jabbari said, reporting from Moscow.

SOURCE Aljazeera

Monday 30,Dec,2024 {HMC} Somali Ministry of Information issued a stern warning Monday against individuals using social media to incite clan-based violence, as deadly inter-clan conflicts across several regions in the country.

In a statement, the Ministry emphasized that the federal government would take strict legal action against those spreading inflammatory content, including videos, pictures, audio clips, and written posts to fuel tensions.

“The Ministry, in fulfilling its duty, hereby warns social media users participating in sedition and inciting conflict. The government will act against anyone and any device used to provoke civil strife,” the statement read.

The Ministry added that it is actively monitoring social media platforms and media outlets being misused to propagate violence. At the same time, it commended users and outlets spreading positive awareness messages, describing them as exemplary during these turbulent times.

Clan conflicts have recently escalated in regions such as Middle and Lower Shabelle, Mudug, Galgadud, and Sanaag, claiming over 100 lives. The violence has prompted widespread condemnation from Somali leaders, including former and current presidents, religious clerics, and community elders, who have called for urgent peace efforts.