Valdai Club

The president has already shown on three occasions with regard to Syria that he can change his decisions under the influence of his advisors and considering changes in domestic and foreign policy. This shows other actors that they should primarily focus on the general, medium- and long-terms imperatives of US foreign policy.

On March 7, the Russian delegation led by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov completed its tour of the Persian Gulf countries. The discussion of Syrian issues occupied a special place in its extensive agenda. Regrettably, the hope that the regional climate around Syria would warm up did not materialize for the time being.

It is still premature to call Syria a “post-conflict state.” However, the restoration of the country cannot be postponed and it is necessary to start with targeted measures aimed at achieving a real improvement in people’s living conditions.

Almost eight years have passed since the outbreak of the conflict in Syria that has drawn into its orbit an unprecedented number of regional and extra-regional actors and launched a process of reformatting the structures of formal and informal, hierarchical and network interrelations and coalitions in Western Asia. A fundamental change took place in the Syrian confrontation at a certain point, primarily owing to the actions of the Russian Federation.