Russia heads out

There has been a pleasant surprise on the Syrian front. After almost six months of military involvement in the Syrian conflict, Russia has agreed to withdraw troops from the country. With the Syrian peace process under way for the last two weeks under a ceasefire agreement by the Syrian government and the opposition, the decision by Russia to withdraw its military presence bodes well for the immediate future of the conflict-ridden region. Although Russian President Vladimir Putin has tried to couch the withdrawal in terms of Russia having largely achieved its objects, there is no doubt that international and local pressure from Syria played a great part in the decision. Russia also claims to have cut off the Turkish supply route to rebel groups. The abrupt decision was personally relayed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad following a meeting in the Kremlin. Coinciding with the start of peace talks in Geneva, the Russian pullout signals that the Kremlin believes it has done enough to protect the Assad regime. However, the move will be read as a sign that Russia is willing to let the peace process take its course.

After five years of civil war in Syria, which has created a global migrant crisis around the world, it is clear to the international community that the only way out of the crisis is through a political settlement. The Russian decision should ease the process of a formula for a political transition in the country. Western media is keen to point to allegations of indiscriminate attacks in Syria led by Russia, whose airstrikes have killed around 4,408 people. But the same allegations can be leveled at the Western allies who have been known to have funded and trained a number of the opposition militias. There is hope that the Russian withdrawal will create more pressure on Syrian president Bashar al-Assad as the second round of peace talks in Geneva approaches. The Syrian opposition has expressed its concerns over Russian involvement, which it claims has prolonged Assad’s spell in power. A minus-Assad solution to the Syrian conflict will need to be found. That will probably be the only way to unify the fractured groups that have been fighting in the country so as to provide a united front against the chaos that the Islamic State can unleash in the country. US Secretary of State John Kerry will visit Moscow next week to thrash out some kind of agreement. While some Russian troops will remain in Syria and Russia still retains a seat at the talks table, all in all this is a positive development. An agreement on Assad’s fate, however, could still be a major hurdle to restoring peace in Syria.