Russia is nearing an agreement with Syria’s new leadership to keep two vital military bases in the Middle East state, a key objective of the Kremlin after the armed groups controlled the country.
Talks are taking place for Russian forces to remain at the naval port in Tartus and the air base at Khmeimim, according to people with knowledge of the matter in Moscow, Europe and the Middle East, asking not to be identified because the issue is sensitive.
The Defense Ministry in Moscow believes it has an informal understanding with Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, or HTS, the former al-Qaeda offshoot that it can stay at the Syrian bases, the person in Russia said. The situation could still change amid the instability in Syria, the person cautioned.
Moscow has established contact with HTS in Damascus and hopes the group “will honor promises” to keep foreign diplomats safe, Russian state media cited Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov as saying. Russia plans to keep its bases in Syria as the fight against ISIL, is not over, he said.
“I assume that everyone agrees that the fight against terrorism and the remnants of ISIL is not over,” Bogdanov was reported as saying. “This requires collective effort and in this sense our presence and the Khmeimim base have been playing an important role.”
“The bases remain on Syrian territory, where they were,” Bogdanov added. “No other decisions have been made.”
It wasn’t immediately possible to verify the information with officials in the transitional government in Syria. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov didn’t immediately respond to a request to comment.
Status Quo
Western officials with knowledge of the interactions said the international community has expressed an informal interest in maintaining the status quo when it came to the Russian bases for the time being, as they could act as a deterrent for any recurrence of extremism in the country.
HTS has signaled to Russia it isn’t interested in hostilities because there are no obvious contenders to its power in the country, the Western officials added.
Russia’s Tartus naval base is the country’s only hub on the Mediterranean Sea. The airfield is used to supply Russia’s security operations in Africa, allowing it to project political and economic influence and restore some of Moscow’s Cold War-era authority on the continent.
President Bashar Al-Assad arrived in Moscow with his family, the Kremlin said on Sunday, adding that Russian officials are in contact with representatives of the armed Syrian opposition who took control of the Syrian capital and several key provinces in the Arab country.
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