Sharaa to visit Moscow tomorrow, will request Assad’s extradition — source

CAIRO, Egypt —  Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will visit Moscow tomorrow, pro-government Syria TV and a source familiar with the matter say, despite the postponement of an Arab summit there that he had planned to attend.

Sharaa is set to hold talks on the continued presence of Russia’s naval base in Tartous and its air base in Hmeimim, a Syrian official source says.

He will also formally request the handover of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a Russian ally, for trial over alleged crimes against Syrians, the source adds.

Sharaa, who once headed the Syrian branch of al Qaeda, led rebels into Damascus in December and installed a new government. Assad fled the capital and was granted asylum in Russia.

Moscow has since attempted to preserve ties with Syria’s new authorities, including offering Damascus diplomatic support over Israeli strikes on Syrian territory.

In July, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani in Moscow.

Shaibani’s visit was the first since Assad’s ouster.