HTS leader says Russia is reviewing its relationship with Syria.
Syrian opposition leaders say Russia has been given an opportunity to reconsider its relationship with Syrians.
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According to RIA Novosti, Ahmed al-Sharaa (also known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani), the leader of the armed opposition group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), told Syrian television on December 14 that Syria had given Russia an opportunity to reconsider its relationship with the Syrian people.
Al-Sharaa said, "We tried not to provoke the Russians and gave them a chance to reconsider their relationship with us."
Also on December 14th, in the Jordanian city of Aqaba, top diplomats from the United States, Türkiye, the European Union, and Arab nations held an international conference on Syria. They agreed that the new Syrian government needs to respect the rights of minority groups.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the conference had agreed on a joint communiqué calling for the establishment of an inclusive and representative government that respects the rights of minority groups and does not become a "base for terrorist groups".
However, at this conference, Russia and Iran – countries that had previously supported the regime of the ousted President Assad – were not invited to attend, and there were no representatives from Syria participating either.
