Russia does not see keeping Bashar al-Assad in power as a matter of principle, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow said yesterday in comments that suggested a divergence of opinion with Iran, the Syrian president's other main international backer.
Fuelling speculation of Russian-Iranian differences over Assad, the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps suggested on Monday that Tehran may be more committed to him than Moscow was.
However, one senior regional official cautioned against reading too much into the public statements on Assad, saying there is no difference between Russia and Iran over him. They agree on his staying in office, and that it is up to the Syrian people to elect their president, the official said.
Russia and Iran agreed on his staying in office, and that it was up to the Syrian people to elect their president.
His fate should be decided by Syrian people
While Russia and Iran have been Assad's foremost foreign supporters during Syria's four-year-old war, the United States, its Gulf allies and Turkey have insisted the president must step down as part of any eventual peace deal.
Talks in Vienna on Friday among the main foreign players involved in diplomatic efforts on Syria failed to reach agreement on Assad. Asked by a reporter yesterday if saving Assad was a matter of principle for Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: “Absolutely not, we never said that.”
“We are not saying that Assad should leave or stay.” But another regime change in the Middle East could be a catastrophe that “could simply turn the whole region into a large black hole”, she added.
Ms Zakharova said Russia had not changed its policy on Assad and that his fate should be decided by the Syrian people.
But her remarks appeared to suggest a difference of approach compared with Iran, which has sent forces to fight alongside Assad's military.
The Lebanese Hezbollah group, which the military backs, has also sent fighters.
The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, Maj Genl Mohammad Ali Jafari, acknowledged that Russia “may not care if Assad stays in power as we do”.