Damascus Resets Regional Security Strategy Amid Calls to Lift U.S. Sanctions

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has announced that his government is negotiating new military cooperation agreements with Türkiye and Russia, replacing past arrangements with unnamed third-party states. Speaking in an exclusive interview with The New York Times in Damascus, al-Sharaa positioned the move as part of a broader regional security realignment following the collapse of the Assad regime.

“Türkiye has a military presence in Syria, and Russia also has a military presence. We’ve nullified past agreements between Syria and other countries and are in the process of developing new ones,” al-Sharaa said.

Legal Military Presence and Russian Arms Partnership

President al-Sharaa emphasized that foreign military deployments in Syria must comply with Syrian legal frameworks, reiterating that Syria’s independence and regional stability cannot be compromised.

“We told all parties that this military presence must align with Syria’s legal structure. No foreign presence should pose a threat to other nations from Syrian territory,” he stated.

Al-Sharaa also reaffirmed Russia’s continued role as Syria’s main defense partner, confirming that the Syrian army is entirely equipped with Russian-made arms.

“Until now, no other country has offered to replace Syrian arms. Russia remains our primary arms supplier,” he said, adding that food and energy agreements with Moscow are also longstanding.

Türkiye’s Evolving Role in Syria

The deepening military relationship with Türkiye, a country that previously backed opposition forces during the Syrian conflict, signals a remarkable shift in diplomatic strategy. President al-Sharaa noted that both Türkiye and Russia have played critical roles in Syria’s recent transformation, and new agreements are intended to reflect current geopolitical realities.

“The fall of the regime and the new state in which Syria found itself paved the way for an entirely new set of security relations,” he said. “Regional and European powers now have a strong interest in Syria’s stability.”

Al-Sharaa Urges End to U.S. Sanctions

Al-Sharaa also used the interview to call for the lifting of U.S. sanctions, acknowledging their origins in the Assad-era atrocities but stressing that the current government should not bear the same burden.

“The sanctions were implemented as a response to crimes committed by the previous regime. But current demands for maintaining them must be revisited,” he said.

The president described the economic impact of U.S. sanctions as devastating, citing widespread damage across agriculture, finance, services, and tourism.

“The economy was systematically being destroyed,” he said. “Entire sectors were nearly wiped out.”

Syria Commits to Non-Aggression and Regional Stability

Al-Sharaa concluded by stressing his administration’s commitment to preventing Syrian territory from being used as a threat to any other country:

“Syria has been committed from the beginning to ensuring its land is never used to endanger other nations.”

The interview, coinciding with the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Türkiye, underscores Syria’s strategic pivot and its bid to re-engage with regional and global actors, leveraging security cooperation and diplomacy to reshape its international standing.