President Bashar al Assad received a surprising visit from Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoygu yesterday.
He reacted to the unexpected – and probably quite serious – appearance of a senior officer in a time-honoured fashion: by trying, and failing, to pretend that he was thrilled to see him.
In an excruciating video, Assad appears caught off-guard and nervous as he greets Shoygu, at a location that analysts say is neither his official residence nor office. “What a pleasant surprise,” he stutters, not entirely convincingly. He then gestures weakly toward the Minister and sways in silence for a milisecond more than seems natural, a pale smile fixed on his face. “I didn’t know you guys were gonna come here in person!”
في اول سابقه باالتاريخ رئيس دوله يتم استدعائه ولم يعرف من سيقابل ولم يعرف بمجئ وزير الدفاع الروسي pic.twitter.com/rV8UVCCHkAا#اهانه_وأذلال
— saad (@5595Sad) 19 June 2016
The awkward moment was shared by numerous commentators, who took the unexpected nature of the drop-in as evidence of Russia’s dominance over the Syrian government.
The two countries are working together militarily in Syria, and Russia’s aerial bombing of opposition-held areas has helped change the course of the war for the dictator. Assad’s campaign, and Russian bombing, have been responsible for the deaths of many thousands of civilians.
@lrozen Very odd. Obviously He didn't know that a Russian minister is coming. This tells a lot about the Russian dominance over him
— Wael Tamimi (@WaelTamimi) 18 June 2016
The fact that the clip was released by Russia Today was also seen as significant. Syria watchers and activists were quick to deconstruct the smallest details of body language between Assad and Shoygu, coming to conclusions that did not put the President's status in the most favourable light.
@lrozen @THE_47th you're a head of state in your own country and get summoned by a visitor you weren't expecting, you bet it was tense
— فيصل بن فرحان (@FaisalbinFarhan) 18 June 2016
Just look at the non verbal language. This meeting was held in #Syria. pic.twitter.com/FKiJoX5nQQ
— S. Rifai (@THE_47th) 18 June 2016
"Hi, we khav message from boss" pic.twitter.com/yoqfAruJoP
— S. Rifai (@THE_47th) 18 June 2016
How I sit when my wife tells me "we need to talk" after going through my phone for 10 minutes pic.twitter.com/mdXErlnEVY
— S. Rifai (@THE_47th) 18 June 2016
“It does seem that Assad was taken by surprise by Shoygu's visit,” Yury Barmin, an analyst with a focus on Russian strategy in the Middle East, told Al Bawaba. “I think Shoygu's visit was more political rather than military, because the military side of the operation is being coordinated between officials of lower rank.
"One particular issue that was discussed could be Syria's violation of the 48-hour ceasefire in Aleppo that Russia announced a few days ago and that didn't hold.”
Barmin also suggested that televising the meeting might be a message, from the Kremlin to the international community, that Russia and Assad were still sticking together. Shoygu says in the video that he consulted with Putin before his visit, so it’s also likely that the meeting was concerned with an issue Assad wouldn’t accept from lower-ranking officers.
“I don't think anything will change in relations with Assad because Moscow needs to keep demonstrating that the alliance is still strong,” Barmin continued.
Regime media reported that al-Assad received the Russian Defence Minister on Saturday, and said the pair discussed military cooperation and “joint work to combat terrorist organizations” on Syrian territory.
Bethan Staton
