Google Cloud Speech-to-Text API (Chirp) + Gemini 2.5 Flash Non-Thinking. Treat it as a searchable index of what was broadcast, not a quotation record.
00:00:00a number of helicopters, armored vehicles, and troop carriers.
00:00:22the existing military
00:00:29We discuss this visit or tour conducted
00:00:31by the Syrian Foreign Minister Saad Al-Shaibani,
00:00:35and the meeting of a Russian military delegation with
00:00:51the political implications of this tour
00:00:54conducted by the Foreign Minister
00:00:58and his meeting with military leaders at Latakia
00:01:01Airport,
00:01:03Mahmoud said, wants not and the timing that was mentioned,
00:01:06it was mentioned at the same time as talk of
00:01:10and in Turkey near Russian military reinforcements to
00:01:14or ammunition to Hmeimim Airport or Hmeimim Airbase,
00:01:30the first pages of Russian
00:01:32influence in Syria began previously during the era of the defunct regime,
00:01:36and today these pages begin
00:01:39again, but this time it is not
00:01:41Elimination Act of a phase of influence, but rather a re-
00:01:43towards the West and close establishment of the relationship
00:01:47alliance. It did enter and a definition of the stages of Russian influence
00:01:50me, it is not easy to hold the stick in and the extent of the powers of the Russian
00:01:54presence today. This visit came at a very
00:01:58considering that exempting Syria from sensitive time. Syria today seeks
00:02:00to move from this to regulate the relationship and the Russian
00:02:03forces present, and Russia wants to preserve
00:02:06the strategic situation
00:02:08and the gains that it previously achieved during
00:02:12the previous regime. There are many agreements that took place between
00:02:16the defunct regime and Russia in order
00:02:19for Russian forces to enter and control many
00:02:22areas of Syria, especially in the port
00:02:27of military equipment have been of Latakia and the ports of Latakia and Tartus.
00:02:30Today, the Syrian government and Damascus
00:02:35the future, or as we call it in are reorganizing this agreement. for Russia in Syria. Russia is trying
00:02:37to preserve these agreements because they are
00:02:41a phase of supply and repair for Russian forces in
00:02:45the region. Russia views
00:02:48the port area as
00:02:51its entry point to warm
00:02:54waters. It is a connecting
00:02:56To what extent does this
00:02:57it will be a new way, but what is this point for it to the Middle East, to Africa, and even Europe.
00:03:00All Russian ships present will have
00:03:04repair and supply centers in the port, and
00:03:08it is noteworthy also that the visit made
00:03:11by Minister Al-Shaibani was high-
00:03:14level. He was accompanied by the Chief of Staff, in addition
00:03:18to the Commander of the Naval Forces and the Commander of the Air Force
00:03:22and the head of military intelligence. So Syria views
00:03:25this stage as not an ordinary visit.
00:03:28Here, a diplomatic, political, military meeting
00:03:31point converges. All these points
00:03:35send a message to the Russians that this
00:03:39file is very important, and it is a sovereign file. Syria
00:03:42agreement is implemented, and this will be in seeks to move from the stage of influence
00:03:46and control to the stage of regulating these forces
00:03:49and their presence. Okay, yes, Dr. Mahmoud, from the stage
00:03:52Why? I mean, it seems that there is of influence and control to the stage
00:03:54of changing the nature
00:03:58supplies and forces that were there yesterday in of this relationship. To what extent will the nature of this relationship with
00:04:00that the economic issue affects Russia actually change practically frozen. They are not
00:04:03also interpret this matter on the military level, given that, as we said, this
00:04:06tour or visit by
00:04:10Minister
00:04:11last year, and this Al-Shaibani came after talk
00:04:14of ammunition being transported, and the presence of planes
00:04:17and troop carriers and helicopters
00:04:21inside Hmeimim Airbase.
00:04:22are still many
00:04:24areas. So in Until now,
00:04:24restrictions imposed on this
00:04:27supplies that were there in is more than a matter of political and diplomatic
00:04:30coordination; it is a military
00:04:41Russian relations after the fall of the regime began
00:04:44to interact soon after.
00:04:47There have been visits
00:04:50that it has very good relations with at the highest level. The Syrian States of America, but this president visited Moscow twice, and there were
00:04:54mutual military and diplomatic visits.
00:04:57The Russians, several months after the fall
00:05:01of the regime, became convinced that they must recognize
00:05:05What is its position on this new government
00:05:06a Russian presence in and cooperate with it because it is a fait accompli. The allied
00:05:10balance with regime of Russia fell. Assad
00:05:13fell, and Russia became practically
00:05:16out of the political and geopolitical
00:05:20scene. Therefore, it began
00:05:22to seek to arrange the relationship,
00:05:25to regulate the relationship, as you mentioned, according
00:05:29to terms, according to interests, according to new terms, according
00:05:33to new terms. The Russians are completely convinced that the old
00:05:36relations will not continue. The new
00:05:40leadership in Damascus deals on the basis
00:05:43of sovereignty and independent decision and demands
00:05:47to be treated with respect, with respect and non-interference
00:05:51in sovereignty. These are principles that the Russians have also
00:05:54spoken about and are committed to.
00:05:57The issue of military
00:06:01bases is the most dangerous file in Syrian-Russian relations
00:06:04because Russia relied heavily on these
00:06:08bases because they are considered a starting point for Russia from
00:06:11Syria to the Middle East, North Africa, and the African
00:06:15continent in general. It has allies and has
00:06:18soldiers and elements in Libya, Sudan, and various
00:06:22places in many African countries. Therefore,
00:06:25Russia wants to maintain, meaning it understands
00:06:28that the era of Russian military
00:06:32bases has ended.
00:06:35the minimum. What is the minimum?
00:06:38It is a joint military
00:06:41training center. That's all there is to it.
00:06:45Tartus port will return to Syria completely.
00:06:48Latakia Airport, which seems to be
00:06:52the sensitive point because it was used by the
00:06:55Russians as a military airport. Okay, okay,
00:06:58this base that has military aircraft and others
00:07:02designated for cargo, and ammunition was recently shipped, and helicopters
00:07:06and armored vehicles and troop carriers. Does
00:07:08this
00:07:11mean it is only a training point or a training base with this equipment
00:07:14and gear in it? Why
00:07:17is this amount of military gear and equipment still
00:07:21there, or is negotiations and understanding
00:07:24still ongoing with the Syrian state to change gradually?
00:07:28No, no, it
00:07:31should be noted that
00:07:34these planes and armored vehicles and remnants
00:07:39there from before, and there were many more. Yes,
00:07:43that's right. And the Russians have withdrawn planes and troops
00:07:47and officers and many other things. But
00:07:50the sensitive point now is that an agreement
00:07:54was reached on a memorandum of understanding last month, yes, between
00:07:57Damascus and Moscow, and they gave it a three-month
00:08:01period for implementation. This is an agreement,
00:08:04but it seems that the Russians,
00:08:07in my personal opinion, the Russians
00:08:10did not implement the agreement
00:08:13or the memorandum as required. There was some
00:08:16hesitation or procrastination, or
00:08:19logistical and technical circumstances hindering
00:08:22them, and we heard that
00:08:25they brought
00:08:27fuel tanks and other things, and you remember that there is
00:08:31ammunition, so this is
00:08:34the real reason for the Foreign Minister's visit. Why
00:08:38would the Foreign Minister go to the base if two days
00:08:41before that, okay, the head of the Syrian General Staff,
00:08:45Major General Ali Al-Naasan, had gone? So there's no Foreign Minister. This
00:08:48is an important point we need to ask about. Indeed, Dr. Mahmoud, I mean,
00:08:52Dr. Maher, why did the Foreign Minister go
00:08:55in his capacity, in his position,
00:08:59with a high- level delegation, and
00:09:01two days before there was also a high- level delegation in the same place? Does
00:09:05this mean that there are points of disagreement, or
00:09:09is it a reinforcement of this path, or is there something
00:09:12stalled? How do you
00:09:15from your point of view?
00:09:19There was an agreement in August
00:09:23agreement was political. So today it is the stage of implementing
00:09:26the political situation and the political agreement into
00:09:30the field situation. There was a visit by the Chief of Staff,
00:09:34and then it was followed by the presence of military
00:09:39September 7th. So today
00:09:43we move to the stage of precise and difficult details.
00:09:47The next stage, we will see who
00:09:50will be responsible for managing the gates, who
00:09:52will control the planes, who will control navigation,
00:09:56movement, and the security situation. This is what Damascus
00:09:59wants: to control the Russian presence.
00:10:02Damascus does not want a state
00:10:05of hostility with Russia, but it wants a state of balance
00:10:08between it and
00:10:11Russia. Damascus, you mean that the supervision
00:10:14of this base and the gates and navigation
00:10:17and everything must be in it must be
00:10:21for the Syrian side to have a fundamental presence in it, and the matter
00:10:25should not be entirely related
00:10:26to the Russian side.
00:10:29Yes, there was an agreement in August
00:10:32last year that all civilian facilities,
00:10:35including Hmeimim Airport and the commercial
00:10:39Fourth Pier, would be transferred to Syrian administration,
00:10:43while
00:10:47facilities would be reduced from a military state to a stage
00:10:51of joint training and rehabilitation. This was the political
00:10:55agreement. Today, these political agreements are being translated
00:10:57into a field situation. The momentum that was in this visit,
00:11:01as we mentioned, there is an intersection of many political, security,
00:11:05military, and diplomatic interests. The visit of the Minister
00:11:08of Staff, the Chief of Staff, then the Commander of the Naval and Air Forces,
00:11:12and the head of military intelligence and Minister Al-Shaibani,
00:11:16here is a great intersection, meaning for all
00:11:20parties and sectors responsible for the airport,
00:11:23for the entire region. So it moves to the stage of precise details
00:11:26and re- formulation. Syria
00:11:29today does not want hostility with Russia, and it does not want, in Syria's
00:11:33general strategic policy, it is moving from a stage
00:11:37of closed axes to a stage of international balances.
00:11:41Today, it maintains open relations with
00:11:44the United States of America, and yesterday there was an agreement,
00:11:47a meeting with US Secretary of State Mark
00:11:50Rubio with Minister Al-Shaibani, in addition to relations
00:11:53with. It aspires to a stage it calls zero
00:11:57problems, meaning a stage of stability that it talks
00:12:00about, meaning the Syrian government's balances with all
00:12:04existing countries, and it does not replace
00:12:07from one axis to another. Today, these
00:12:10are the general directions of Syrian policy. This matter, Dr. Maher, allow
00:12:15the middle and be a friend to everyone and zero out problems, and zeroing
00:12:19out problems ultimately requires concessions.
00:12:22And also,
00:12:33if we ask you about this policy followed by the Syrian state, the Syrian government,
00:12:36rather, with
00:12:39Russia specifically, what is required to define
00:12:42the new relationship with Russia on all
00:12:46levels? There is an agreement that you mentioned,
00:12:49and it is related to Hmeimim Airbase,
00:12:53related to political and military relations and the Russian
00:12:57military presence in Syria. But what about the other
00:13:00files? How is the relationship with
00:13:04Russia going? Yes, the Syrian policy,
00:13:07we talked about the new foundations for dealing with Russia,
00:13:11and these are acceptable to the Russian side, and there is an understanding
00:13:14about dealing in a new way. This is one point.
00:13:17The other point is that it is clear that
00:13:22new way? The new way is
00:13:31dealing on the basis of respect
00:13:34and national interests, meaning independent
00:13:37decision, meaning interests. Interests, this is the point that
00:13:40we want to discuss. What is Russia looking for in Syria now,
00:13:44and what does Syria also want from Russia according to interests, because
00:13:48the issue of sovereignty has become a reality, especially
00:13:51after the liberation.
00:13:53Yes, we must not forget that there were old
00:13:57and long historical relations between Russia
00:14:00and Syria since the days of the Soviet Union. So there is
00:14:04an overlap of interests, not only, but the most important of them seems
00:14:07to be military, given that there is a military presence on Syrian
00:14:11soil. This is the sensitive point. As for economic
00:14:15and commercial relations, all other agreements signed
00:14:18between Syria and Russia are all
00:14:22working. It seems
00:14:25the economy and people's lives directly.
00:14:29The issue of fuel,
00:14:33many details
00:14:35affect the Syrian citizen directly.
00:14:38To what extent can we say that
00:14:42also adapting the relationship and developing it
00:14:45again
00:14:47for this reason, that since relations are based
00:14:51on the foundations of sovereignty and common interests,
00:14:55and pragmatic politics, meaning according to the exchange of interests,
00:14:59and each country makes its decision independently,
00:15:03there are indeed economic interests. There was cooperation in the oil
00:15:06sector, in the gas sector, in many commercial
00:15:10sectors between, I mean,
00:15:13importing grains, importing even
00:15:16arms transfers. I mean, there are wide areas between
00:15:20Syria and Russia that can be continued
00:15:23because they are in the interest of both countries. In addition,
00:15:27it is in Syria's interest to have
00:15:31the region to create a strategic
00:15:35the West. This is from a broader perspective. These are
00:15:38important and necessary strategic interests.
00:15:41The Russians want to maintain Muawiyah's
00:15:45hair in Syria. Honestly, because they
00:15:49lost, they lost the initiative, they lost
00:15:52they could not impose their opinion or position
00:15:55as before, and now they want the new
00:15:58government to keep any symbolic presence
00:16:02for them, any symbolic cooperation, even to save
00:16:05face. This is the truth. Therefore, Syria works
00:16:09for its interests, and there are
00:16:12wide areas for cooperation with Russia, and Russia also, not only
00:16:15economically and militarily, there is the diplomatic aspect. Russia is a permanent
00:16:19member of the Security Council. Yes, Russia is a nuclear
00:16:22state. It has, it has strong cards. Russia
00:16:26has excellent relations with officers of the
00:16:36Syria is shaping this relationship with Russia, and Russia, as Dr.
00:16:41to cut Muawiyah's hair in Syria.
00:16:44Therefore, for Syria, what are
00:16:47the contentious issues that it is trying to postpone
00:16:50and not bring up for discussion at this
00:16:54stage or in the near future with Russia? And here I am not
00:16:57talking about the issue of Bashar al-Assad,
00:17:00the fugitive in Moscow. I am talking about other files related
00:17:03to stolen money. I am talking about
00:17:07those who fled from war criminals to Russia, and not the head
00:17:20and Russia, Damascus wants the relationship to be one of mutual
00:17:23interests. Damascus does not want to lose Russia, but at the same time, it does not want
00:17:27to be in a state of subservience to Russian policy, as was the case in the past. I mean,
00:17:31just as Syria was a part of and politically and security-wise
00:17:35subservient to Russia, today Syria wants
00:17:38field and this category to a stage of balance
00:17:41and treatment in which Syria
00:17:44truly moves from the Eastern Bloc to the Western Bloc,
00:17:47and this has become clear. It has moved, but as
00:17:51long as there are Russian forces and these forces are effective
00:17:55and influential, they pose a danger. Syria has not
00:17:58yet stabilized internally. There are many internal problems and disturbances.
00:18:02Perhaps the presence of these military forces in
00:18:05Syria might be a foothold
00:18:12the common saying, it is like Juha's nail. So if
00:18:16Russia remains in this region, what will be the nature of the relationship?
00:18:19Syria, when there is a state of permanent stability in the country and no
00:18:23disturbances or threats to Syrian
00:18:26geography and Syrian sovereignty, then
00:18:29we can say that Syria has reached a stage of reciprocal
00:18:32treatment. But today, Syria is in a state of fear. Any
00:18:36foreign presence in Syria always
00:18:39causes anxiety, for the Syrian
00:18:43government. The contentious issues that Syria does not want to raise
00:18:47at this stage with Russia and is trying to
00:18:51avoid.
00:18:53Today, the August
00:18:56agreement was an agreement in generalities and did
00:18:59not contain details. So it was about transferring
00:19:03civilian institutions' files to
00:19:06the Syrian government for full
00:19:10management, while military institutions would be a stage
00:19:13of training and qualification only.
00:19:17Here we move on. If this
00:19:20the future, if this agreement is implemented as
00:19:23agreed upon and there is no violation, we move from the stage
00:19:27of Russian influence to the stage of genuine
00:19:30partnership. Similarly, the presence of military
00:19:35the seventh of this month. There was a truly terrifying
00:19:39and frightening situation, with planes, ammunition, and military
00:19:42forces. Why is Russia bringing them to Syria? What is the purpose of these
00:19:46forces? So Syria today seeks to move from
00:19:50the stage of influence to the stage of partnership, and in return,
00:19:53Russia does not want to lose Syria. Syria represents strategic
00:19:57options for it, supply areas and repair
00:20:01the next stage, we cannot say whether the Russians will stay
00:20:05or whether they will withdraw,
00:20:08in the next stage is who will resolve the dispute
00:20:12when there are disputes between Russia and Syria? This
00:20:16will be the question in the coming stage. Exactly, Dr.
00:20:19Mahmoud, who is the guarantor in the next stage
00:20:22for Russian-Syrian relations? Is it Turkey, given
00:20:28both parties, or are there other parties? What
00:20:31is the position of the United States, which presents
00:20:35itself as the current patron of Syria and has lifted
00:20:38sanctions and all these details?
00:20:43relations with Russia and the presence of a military
00:20:45base in Syria
00:20:48for Russia? No, let's agree
00:20:52that a Russian military base in Syria will not
00:21:05This form is acceptable. Also, this
00:21:08means an educational training center. This absolutely
00:21:12does not harm or bother anyone because it is under Syrian
00:21:15control and administration. Syria supervises it with the Russians. Of course, here we have
00:21:20joint. As for
00:21:23relations in general with Russia, honestly,
00:21:25we need some aspects. I mentioned
00:21:29some of them. For example, Russia cannot offer us
00:21:33modern technology, for example, to develop Syria and build a new
00:21:36Syria like America and the West and Europeans. But
00:21:40Russia has other important files. For example, Syria
00:21:43may need to build a nuclear power plant in
00:21:47Syria. The Russians are very
00:21:51advanced in this field. In
00:21:54Egypt, there they are building a nuclear
00:21:57power plant in Egypt
00:22:00the Syrian border. This is one point. The other point is
00:22:03military cooperation. Everything is done through agreements
00:22:07and understanding and precision. Relations
00:22:11now will not be, I mean, unstudied, but studied
00:22:15in painstaking detail so that there are no
00:22:18problems. And Syria is not obliged, I mean,
00:22:21in the end, to commit, as your guest mentioned. I
00:22:25agree with him. Syria has not joined
00:22:28alliances. Syria is indeed inclined
00:22:33to the West, but it does not enter into a strategic
00:22:37the alliance to fight terrorism, but this is a local
00:22:41matter, I mean, it is considered such. As for
00:22:45major alliances and blocs, Syria will not enter them, otherwise
00:22:48it will fall into, I mean, it will be in confrontation with other countries.
00:22:51Therefore, I mean, all the files are open between Syria
00:22:54and Russia. Are all the files really open, even the problematic
00:22:58files that Syria and Russia are trying to avoid?
00:23:01I will not repeat, I mean, among them
00:23:05the issue of the officers of the overthrown regime who are in Moscow,
00:23:08the issue of Bashar al-Assad, the fugitive there,
00:23:12and an important point, the issue of compensation
00:23:15for the crimes committed by Russia in Syria.
00:23:18How, how, how are these files all open, and we haven't heard about these files,
00:23:22and it seems they have been closed or postponed indefinitely?
00:23:25These, I believe, have been postponed because
00:23:29the issue of Bashar, President Putin cannot hand over
00:23:33Bashar. Let's leave the issue of let's leave the issue of Bashar al-Assad, the fugitive.
00:23:36Let's go to the issue of compensation, for example. The issue of frozen
00:23:40funds and compensation. Also, the Russians
00:23:43have, they can open files and say, we have debts from the defunct
00:23:46regime. So it's a problem too, I mean, these are problematic
00:23:50files. I said they are problematic files.
00:23:54I said that, and that it seems they have not been opened or have been postponed
00:23:57indefinitely. Exactly, exactly. These
00:24:00are postponed, but the files I mean open
00:24:03for cooperation that allow for economic,
00:24:06political, and commercial cooperation, and in the field
00:24:09of energy, in many fields, honestly, and
00:24:13even, by the way, Russia might contribute
00:24:16to files related to the southern borders.
00:24:24There were rumors or leaks or
00:24:27analyses about such matters, given that Russia's relationship with
00:24:30Israel is also a good relationship. In any case,
00:24:34the Russian file remains
00:24:37a file with several aspects, and the relationship
00:24:40with Syria in its new form. In any case,
00:24:43thank you very much to my guests, Dr. Maher
00:24:46Al-Tamran, researcher at Jusoor for Studies, who was with us from
00:24:50Damascus, and Dr. Mahmoud Al-Hamza, the academic specializing in Russian
00:24:53affairs, who was with us from Doha.
00:24:55We will continue
00:24:58with you shortly with the US
00:25:01State Department's decision to lift the ban on arms sales to Syria.
00:25:22We are sitting inside, and these people here are crying about him. By God,
00:25:26we hear the pain of the bones that are
00:25:28breaking.
00:25:36Every blanket I smell, I feel there is blood mixed
00:25:40with the smell of humans.
00:25:44When they call our name for torture, you truly don't know if you'll come back alive or
00:25:48dead.
00:25:55I remember hearing my hair crackling
00:25:56in my head.
00:26:01The one that suffers is the soul that doesn't die.
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00:27:02and Syria TV, a closer
00:27:05world and a clearer picture.
00:27:28Welcome back. The US State Department announced the exemption of Syria
00:27:32from the remaining two
00:27:35restrictions related to arms sales and military financing,
00:27:38imposed under the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare
00:27:441991.
00:27:45The decision
00:27:49was contained in an official notice issued by the US
00:27:52State Department, published in the Federal Register, and came into
00:27:55effect on September 16,
00:28:00the remaining two restrictions is necessary for the national
00:28:04security interests of the United
00:28:06States. In turn,
00:28:08US Congressman John Wilson
00:28:12criticized the continuation of US restrictions on exporting goods to Syria, despite about
00:28:16a month having passed since US President Donald Trump ended the designation
00:28:19of Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism. Wilson
00:28:22said in a tweet on the X platform that he
00:28:26was disappointed that the US Bureau of Industry and Security has not
00:28:29yet lifted the export controls imposed
00:28:33on Syria.
00:28:55Samir.
00:28:58exemption from the remaining restrictions related to arms sales
00:29:02to Syria have an impact, knowing that some
00:29:05say it is a measure, I mean, among the successive measures
00:29:09by which the United States lifts restrictions on
00:29:12Syria and removes
00:29:24but we should not exaggerate the impact of this
00:29:27step on arming the Syrian army or
00:29:31even military relations between The United States of America
00:29:34and Syria, yes, it has lifted the restrictions, but
00:29:38this certainly does not mean that the United States of America
00:29:42has decided to arm Syria, or that there is an arms deal
00:29:45to Syria, or the provision of some
00:29:48military equipment and other things
00:29:51that the Syrian army needs.
00:29:55no intention to sell weapons to Syria or
00:29:58arm Syria by the United States. What do you think are the most important reasons?
00:30:01In my opinion,
00:30:03this is related
00:30:07to the United States of America's policy regarding
00:30:10the political transition in Syria. I mean,
00:30:14if we observe the relationship between America and Syria, there is
00:30:17a gradual lifting of sanctions, even
00:30:20the sanctions, or what remained of the economic sanctions, have been removed. But there
00:30:27communications and software
00:30:29and so on. So the United States of America,
00:30:33it follows a policy of gradual or conditional relations
00:30:37with Syria. It does not want to give Syria everything
00:30:41at once. Therefore, every two months we find that
00:30:44some of these measures are being lifted. Certainly, these
00:30:47are probably related to administrative procedures that exist in the United
00:30:53gradual approach, in my opinion, is a conditional matter,
00:30:57or conditional relations with Syria, the issue of arming.