Content deleted Content added
Fanzine999 (talk | contribs) |
|||
Line 45:
Russia’s political presence in Syria predates the creation of the modern Syrian state after [[World War II]].<ref name='Kreutz'>{{cite book | last1 = Kreutz | first1 = Andrej | title = Russia in the Middle East: friend or foe? | publisher = Greenwood Publishing Group | year = 2007 | location = Westport, Connecticut | accessdate = 2012-04-22}}</ref> As early as the 10th and 11th centuries, Russian soldiers served in the [[Byzantine army]]. The late 19th and early 20th centuries can be characterized by a series of events linking the two nations together. In 1893, a Russian [[consular office]] was established in [[Damascus]], further cementing the relationship. By 1905, the Imperial [[Russian Orthodox]] Society had opened 74 schools in Syria, but by 1910, the society was spending most of its income on Syrian education, even neglecting its principal obligation to the Russian pilgrims in the Holy Land.<ref name='Kreutz' /> The [[Bolshevik revolution]] essentially brought an end to Russian presence in Syria for a brief period. Although Russia did not play a large political role, it helped Syria establish the first [[Syrian Communist Party]] in 1925.<ref name='Kreutz' /> The relationship was restored when Moscow established diplomatic links with Syria in 1944 before Syria was formally recognized as an independent state on 17 April 1946. Over the years, Syria has received substantial military and economic aid from Russia.
During the [[Cold War]], Damascus served as an ally to Moscow as they fought the imperial powers of the West, creating a stronger political bond.<ref name='foreign affairs'>{{cite news | first = Dmitri | last = Trenin | title = Russia's Line in the Sand on Syria: Why Moscow Wants To Halt the Arab Spring | date = 2012-02-05 | url = http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/137078/dmitri-trenin/russias-line-in-the-sand-on-syria | work = Foreign Affairs.com | accessdate = 2012-03-15}}</ref> Between 1955 and 1958, Syria received about $294 million from Moscow for military and economic assistance,<ref name='Kreutz' /> a business relationship which continues today. Thousands of Syrian military officers and educated professionals, and such connections have resulted in many marriages and mixed families.<ref>{{cite web |last1= Peel |first1= Michael |last2= Clover |first2= Charles |date= 9 July 2012 |title= Syria and Russia's 'special relationship' |url= http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e64a3076-c9b2-11e1-a5e2-00144feabdc0.html |publisher= FT.com |accessdate= 11 July 2012 }}</ref>
The [[1966 Syrian coup d'état|Syrian Revolution]] of February 1966 allowed the [[Soviet Union]] the opportunity to further support Syria. This was due to the possibility of acquiring basing rights on the [[Mediterranean Sea]] in order to counter the [[U.S. Sixth Fleet]]. Had the Soviet Union and [[Egypt]] united against the United States and neighboring [[Israel]], this would have greatly increased Soviet influence in the region.<ref name='Breslauer'>{{cite book | last1 = Breslauer | first1 = George W. | title = Soviet Strategy in the Middle East | year = 1990 | location = Boston, Massachusetts | accessdate = 2012-04-22}}</ref> In April 1977, President [[Hafez al-Assad]] visited [[Moscow]], and met with Soviet leaders [[Leonid Brezhnev]] and [[Alexei Kosygin]] among others, as a sign of improved Syrian relations with the USSR. Three years later, in October 1980, Syria signed a twenty-year Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation with the [[Soviet Union]].<ref name='Middle East Chronology'>{{cite book | last1 = Lea | first1 = David | title = A Political Chronology of the Middle East | publisher = Europa Publications | year = 2001 | location = London, United Kingdom | accessdate = 2012-04-22}}</ref>
| |||