The Russian presidential machine was officially on way to Cairo early Monday morning, but made a stopover on Syrian air base Hmeimim. There was already Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad waiting on tarmac. Both leaders hugged and smiled at cameras, before guest from Moscow announced in a brief speech that Russia would withdraw most of his troops from Syria in near future. “Toger with Turkey and Iran, we are bringing peace to region,” declared Vladimir Putin, who is running for a fourth term in March. At same time, he is first authoritative foreign head of state to put his foot on ground of civil war country in recent years.
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The Kremlin n flew on to Cairo and met Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, who, on same day, also consulted with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on issue of Jerusalem and blocked Fatah takeover in Gaza. On way back, Putin put in a stopover in Ankara in evening. The Turkish head of government Recep Tayyip Erdoğan wanted to speak to him, also because of Jerusalem, but also because of Syria.
Barely four days after Donald Trump’s bang on Jerusalem, Vladimir Putin staged himself with spectacular, one-day whirlwind as new sought-after man in Middle East, while United States has fallen apart. The Kremlin benefits from growing vacuum that President trumps leaves behind with his America-first strategy in Middle East.
Weapons of war and nuclear power plants on offer
From all sides, Russia’s president is now courted and invited. The Palestinian chief Mahmoud Abbas, deeply frustrated by American Jerusalem decision, even plays publicly with idea of depriving United States of Middle East mediation and instead handing it over to Russia, China and Europe. Putin needs troubled region above all to re-establish himself and his homeland as a global power factor on world stage.
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At same time, he wants to sell as much as possible of what Russia’s economy still has to offer in significant industrial products – war weapons and nuclear power plants. And so lately, not only Syria, but also Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have ordered rockets and fighter jets on a large scale. This is to weigh Putin down and give unloved Americans a thought-out that is also strong on road as arms sellers in region.
Just last week, Russian high command officially declared victory over “Islamic State” (IS) in Syria, as did Iraqi government in Baghdad on weekend, celebrating success with a military parade. “If terrorists once again lift ir heads, we will knock m down with such a force as y have never experienced before,” Putin threatened on Monday at his flying visit to Syria.
Is cells continue to wreak mischief
Even after withdrawal of its force, Russia will retain two permanent bases, air base Hmeimim near Latakia and military port on Mediterranean in Tartu. With start of war effort in September 2015, Moscow, according to estimation of observers, moved up to 10,000 soldiers and personnel on site. There is no official information on number of fallen. Individual loss messages add up to about 40 killed, but dark digit is likely to be higher.
In case of sleepers or raids, terrorists in Syria and Iraq are still wreaking mischief, but ir so-called Islamic caliphate, once almost as large as England, no longer exists. Dictator Assad is also unchallenged thanks to Russian bombing. Accordingly, will of his regime to make any significant compromises with opposition in Geneva UN talks is correspondingly low.
Putin’s talks in Egypt revolved around agreed nuclear reactor in Al-Dabaa on Mediterranean coast, Russia’s investment in new mega-industrial zone along Suez Canal, and return of Russian tourists. According to Kremlin’s will, se should no longer be allowed to leave Red Sea, since 2015 a terrorist attack on a Russian holiday flyer on way from Sharm al-Sheikh to St. Petersburg 224 death toll. For President al-Sissi, Putin’s flying visit was not just about politics, but also about much Russian money. Russia’s role in Middle East is gaining importance.
