Russia is going to make an agreement with the new leaders of Syria to maintain military bases

Russia is close to a deal with Syria’s new leadership to retain two vital military bases in the Middle East state, a key Kremlin objective following the fall of its ally Bashar al-Assad.

Negotiations are underway for Russian forces to remain at the naval port in Tartus and the airport in Khmeimim, according to people with knowledge of the matter in Moscow, Europe and the Middle East, who asked not to be identified because the issue is sensitive. Said.

The Defense Ministry in Moscow believes it has an informal understanding with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, the former al-Qaida branch that led the attack to remove Assad from power, one person in Russia said. That he may remain at Syrian bases. The person cautioned that the situation could still change amid instability in Syria.

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Russian state media quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov as saying that Moscow had established contacts with HTS in Damascus and expected the group “to honor promises” to keep foreign diplomats safe. Russia plans to maintain its bases in Syria because the fight against Islamic State or ISIS is not over yet, he said.

“I think everyone agrees that the fight against terrorism and the remnants of ISIS is not over,” Bogdanov said. “This requires a collective effort and in this sense our presence and the Khmeimim base are playing an important role.”

“The bases remain on Syrian territory, where they were,” Bogdanov said. “No other decisions have been taken.”

It was not immediately possible to verify the information with transitional government officials in Syria. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Western officials with knowledge of the talks said the international community has expressed an informal interest in maintaining the status quo for now when it comes to Russian bases, as they could act as a deterrent to any recurrence of extremism in the country. Can.

Western officials said HTS has signaled to Russia that it has no interest in hostilities because there is no clear contender for its power in the country.

ISIS, which has been designated a terrorist group by the US and other countries, took advantage of the early years of the Syrian civil war that began in 2011 to capture large swathes of territory in the east of the country and neighboring Iraq. The group finally faced defeat at the end of the last decade.

Russia’s Tartus naval base is the country’s only base on the Mediterranean Sea. The airfield is used to supply Russia’s security operations in Africa, allowing it to exert political and economic influence and restore some of Moscow’s Cold War-era authority on the continent.

The fall of the Assad regime effectively voided the 49-year lease for the bases secured by Russia in 2017, two years after Putin sent his troops to reinforce Assad’s forces and push back opposition fighters Was.

The Kremlin deported Assad and his family to Russia over the weekend after leading the Syrian leader to believe he had lost the war with rebel groups over the capital, Damascus.

Russia forces Assad to flee Syria after losing the war

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