Iranian president visits Syria for the first time since 2011

Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi arrived on an official visit to Syria and met with President Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported. This is the first visit by an Iranian leader to Tehran’s allied Syria in 13 years since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011. Raisi was accompanied by a large delegation, including foreign and defense ministers Hossein Amir Abdollahian and Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, as well as oil minister Javad Ouji. At the Damascus airport, Raisi was met by Syrian Economy Minister Mohammed Samer al-Khalil.

According to Iranian government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi, the talks will focus on trade and economic cooperation, which both sides intend to strengthen. Earlier in April, the Syrian newspaper Al-Watan wrote that the result of the meeting between Raisi and Syrian President Assad would be the signing of many agreements and memorandums of understanding in the economic sphere between Tehran and Damascus. The economic situation in Syria remains difficult.

In December 2022, the country faced a massive fuel crisis, the worst since the beginning of the civil war. The lack of fuel has caused problems with energy supply, the delivery of essential goods, medicines and medical care. At the same time, Iran, the main supplier of fuel to Syria, in January 2023 refused to sell energy resources on credit, and also raised prices. Tehran asked Damascus to pay in advance for new deliveries. The representative of the Iranian Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Exporters’ Union, Hamid Hosseini, then said that Tehran itself was under pressure and could not afford benefits for Syria.

The arrival of Raisi in Damascus is a noticeable sign of the normalization of relations between Syria and neighboring countries. Earlier, the Assad government began to mutually establish contacts with Turkey, which throughout the Syrian conflict opposed the official Damascus and conducted military operations on the territory of the SAR.

On April 12, after the first visit of Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad to Jeddah in 12 years, the authorities of Saudi Arabia announced the restoration of diplomatic relations with Damascus. Two days later, representatives of the countries of the League of Arab States (LAS) met there to discuss the restoration of Syria’s membership in the organization at the Arab League summit, which will be held on May 19. Syria’s membership in the organization was suspended back in 2011. On May 1, the foreign ministers of Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq held a meeting, following which they called for the withdrawal of the illegally present armed forces from the country, which primarily means the Turkish and american army.

Iran has been and remains the main ally of Syria, so it is important for Tehran to consolidate relations with Damascus against the backdrop of Assad’s contacts with the Arab states, according to MGIMO researcher Artem Adrianov. Raisi does not want to let its influence in Syria decline while Damascus seeks to renew contacts with previously unfriendly Arab countries. “At the same time, it is not yet necessary to talk about the complete independence of Syria from Iran – Iranian influence in Damascus is still strong, and Tehran does not allow itself to be pushed aside from the settlement process around Syria,” the expert sums up.

Damascus is being fought over between Saudi Arabia and Iran, says Andrei Zeltyn, senior lecturer at the HSE School of Oriental Studies. The Saudis want to bring Syria closer by returning it to the Arab League, which will increase influence on the SAR and other monarchies of the Persian Gulf.

“At the same time, Iran sees Syria as its strategic territory through which Tehran can establish ties with Lebanon and confront Israel. In addition, it was thanks to Iranian support that Assad held on to the presidency, and Tehran will definitely demand the repayment of debts, ”the expert explains. It is important for Assad himself to return to the Arab League and add legitimacy to his power at its expense – after all, reliance on Shiite Iran does not look in the eyes of other Arab countries as a serious argument as good relations with members of the Arab League, sums up Zeltyn.