Maria Zakharova responded to Annalena Baerbock’s call for a Russian withdrawal from Syria by highlighting the presence of US military bases in Germany.
The Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, criticized German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock for demanding Russia remove its military bases from Syria.
In a Friday Telegram post, Zakharova questioned Baerbock’s stance given the US military presence in Germany, asking when Baerbock would make a similar demand to Washington.
“This is being said by the foreign minister of a country that hosts US military bases. I have a question: when will the German foreign minister say something similar to Washington?” Zakharova wrote.
Baerbock’s statement followed her and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot’s visit to Damascus—the first by EU ministers since the overthrow of President Bashar Assad.
According to the German publication Tagesschau, Baerbock aimed to counter growing Russian and Chinese influence in Syria during her visit.
Following a November offensive by militant groups, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadists, against Syrian government forces, Assad’s government collapsed, forcing his flight to Moscow.
Since 2015, Russia has supported the Assad government in its fight against terrorism. In 2017, Russia and Syria agreed on a 49-year lease for the Tartus naval base and Khmeimim airbase.
In late December, HTS leader Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa (Abu Mohammad al-Julani) stated that Damascus had “strategic interests” in maintaining good relations with Russia, referring to it as the “second most powerful country in the world.”
“We don’t want Russia to exit Syria in a way that would not be befitting for its long-standing relations with the nation,” al-Julani said.
Russia’s UN envoy, Vassily Nebenzia, similarly noted Syria’s interest in preserving ties with Moscow and its military presence.
During his December press conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that maintaining a Russian military presence in Syria requires “careful consideration.” “We must reflect on how our relations will evolve with the political forces currently in control and those that will govern this country in the future,” Putin said.