Putin talked about the outlook for the military bases in Syria

The President of Russia Vladimir Putin in his speech during the Direct Line broadcast in Moscow Trading Arcade responded to the question about Russian military bases in Syria. The RF leader believes it possible to maintain the bases in the Arabian republic in case the interests of Moscow and Damascus match. 

The RF bases in Lattakia

Igor Korotchenko, a political analyst and the General Director of the Caspian Institute for Strategic Studies (Russia), in his interview to the correspondent of the Vestnik Kavkaza talked about the intention of Moscow to do its best to maintain Russian military bases in Syrian Lattakia. «Of course, Russia will be insisting on it, and the negotiations on this issue are in progress already», – he emphasized to start with.

«First of all, it is necessary to fix the legal status of the Russian bases and to confirm the agreements with the previous government. Only after that it will make sense to discuss the future use of these bases with the new Syrian authorities. We reckon upon finding the understanding with new Damascus about Russia continuing to be an important partner and a key stakeholder of settling the situation in Syria, all the more so as we support the territorial integrity of Syria irrespective of the existing political regime», – Igor Korotchenko said.

«In connection with this we expect the status of our basis – the air force base in Hemeimeem and the naval base in Tartous – to be confirmed and fixed with all the respective guarantees for keeping them in the territory of Syria. If this is achieved, they will be used in the same way as before. The Hemeimeem air force base is the most important transportation and logistical hub to assure interaction with Russian African Corps. We also need a capable strike force in Hemeimeem to assure security in the East Mediterranean area at the very least», – the political analyst emphasized.

«As for the naval base in Tartous, it is the main station for Russian ships and submarines permanently deployed in the Mediterranean Sea. Stable operation of this base is extremely important for Russian naval presence in the Mediterranean region. Overall, the negotiations on this issue are in progress. Let us count on the ability of Russian diplomats and military servicemen to achieve agreements acceptable to Moscow», – Igor Korotchenko concluded.