The Russian Foreign Ministry assured this Sunday that Syrian President Bashar al Assad has left the country and ordered a “peaceful” transfer of power after the fall of the capital, Damascus, into the hands of rebel forces.
“As a result of negotiations between Bashar al Assad and several participants in the armed conflict on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, he has decided to leave the presidential office and leave the country, giving instructions to carry out the transfer of power peacefully,” he stated in a statement.
The Kremlin, however, has stated that it has not participated in these talks. Likewise, he has said he is in contact “with all Syrian opposition groups.” “We support efforts to establish an inclusive political process based on the unanimously adopted Security Council Resolution 2254,” he added.
Moscow has also reported that the Russian military bases in the Arab country – the air base in Hmeimim and the naval base in Tartus – “are on maximum alert”, although “at the moment there is no serious threat to their security.”
Syrian rebel forces, led by the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) and its allied factions, have announced the fall of the country’s capital, Damascus, after a lightning offensive lasting nearly a week that has caused the collapse of the Al Assad regime, in power for almost 24 years.
The Kremlin is one of the main international supporters of Syrian President Bashar al Assad and its military intervention in 2015 allowed government forces to repel rebel advances and stabilize the fronts.