Russian, Syrian Intelligence Chiefs Hold Talks: TASS Reports
MOSCOW: Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service, said that he had 'a constructive and friendly meeting' with an unnamed representative of the Syrian intelligence services, the state TASS news agency reported on Friday.
TASS cited Naryshkin as saying that the meeting had been held last week in Baku in Azerbaijan, without providing further details.
Russia is seeking to shore up its military presence in Syria where it operates an airbase and a naval facility.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
9 hours ago
- The Sun
Kremlin says ‘quick results' in normalising US-Russia ties ‘unlikely'
MOSCOW: The Kremlin on Wednesday said it was unlikely that attempts to improve Russia-US ties would bring 'quick results', after a series of calls between presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Trump has spooked Europe and Kyiv by pushing a rapprochement with Moscow, a dramatic reversal after three years of Washington tying to isolate Putin over his Ukraine offensive. Trump wants a swift end to the conflict, and has expressed mounting frustration with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for not having struck a deal yet. 'There are many obstacles in bilateral relations, and it is unlikely that we can hope for any quick results,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Alongside the calls, Putin has met Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow several times, while top diplomats have also held talks in Saudi Arabia. Lower-level delegations met in Istanbul for negotiations on boosting the work of their respective embassies. Russia's ambassador to the United States said those talks were set to continue in Moscow and Washington, state news agency TASS reported Wednesday. 'The next round of talks will take place in Moscow in the very near future,' ambassador Alexander Darchiev said, without specifying a date.
The Star
10 hours ago
- The Star
Russia says improving ties with US will take time
FILE PHOTO: A view shows the domes of a cathedral and towers at the Kremlin in central Moscow, Russia, May 19, 2025. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/ File Photo MOSCOW (Reuters) -Talks between Russia and the United States aimed at improving ties and removing "irritants" in their relationship are not expected to yield quick results, the Kremlin said on Wednesday. "Well, let's say that there are a lot of blockages in bilateral relations. Of course, one can hardly hope for any quick results, but this is precisely the kind of complex step-by-step work that has begun and will continue," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, denying that dialogue had stalled. Since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, the two countries have launched a series of contacts aimed at improving relations which the Kremlin had described as "below zero" under the previous administration of Joe Biden. Both sides say there is huge potential for business and investment deals if relations improve. But Trump, despite holding four phone calls with President Vladimir Putin, has voiced frustration about Russia's war actions in Ukraine and the lack of any visible progress towards a peace deal. Russia's new ambassador to Washington said earlier on Wednesday that U.S.-Russia bilateral talks would soon move to Moscow from Istanbul. "The recovery of Russian-American relations is still a long way off," ambassador Alexander Darchiev told TASS news agency, adding that the rapprochement was being slowed by the so-called U.S. "deep state" and anti-Russian "hawks" in Congress. (Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov, writing by Mark Trevelyan, editing by Ed Osmond)
The Sun
12 hours ago
- The Sun
Three Alawites killed after attack on Syria government forces: monitor
BEIRUT: Three Alawite civilians were killed in western Syria overnight, hours after an attack on government forces killed at least one officer, a war monitor said on Wednesday. Syrian authorities said four civilians were targeted by unknown attackers in the Tal Kalakh area near the Lebanese border, killing two of them. Since an Islamist-led offensive toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, the Alawite community, which he hails from, has been repeatedly attacked. Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the three civilians were killed in Baruha village by 'local armed groups' who also set fire to shops and cars. The head of security in Homs province, Murhaf Naasan, said: 'Four civilians were directly targeted by unknown people, killing two of them and critically wounding two others.' The deaths comes hours after Syria's state-run SANA news agency reported that a security officer had been killed in an attack in the Tal Kalakh area. In March, sectarian massacres in the Alawite heartland on Syria's Mediterranean coast saw security forces and allied groups kill more than 1,700 civilians, mostly Alawites, according to the Observatory's figures. The Islamist-led government accused Assad loyalists of sparking the violence by launching coordinated attacks on security forces. The government has since launched an inquiry.
