FARNBOROUGH, July 11 (Itar-Tass) — Vyacheslav Dzirkaln, the deputy general director of the Federal Service for Military and Technological Cooperation, told journalists on Wednesday that there were no Russian military experts in the Syrian army.
“There are no Russian military experts in the ranks of the Syrian army,” he said, though clarifying that Russia had a military base in Tartusa.
“But this only the personnel that services and maintains the base,” Dzirkaln explained.
He said that a vessel carrying helicopters repaired for Syria had returned to Russia but Russia would meet its contractual commitments without fail.
“Now we have to decide how we should deliver the cargo to its destination without damaging our interests and without any provocations on the part of forces concerned,” Dzirkaln stressed.
He said that Russia would meet all its commitments under contracts signed with Syria but was not planning to strike any new deals so far.
“Russia has commitments under previous contracts signed with Syria back in 2008 (for helicopter repairs). They are being implemented and will be implemented,” Dzirkaln went on to say.
“We are not breaching any international commitments,” he went on to say, adding that no trade sanctions had been imposed on Syria.
Moreover, he explained that weapons and military hardware Russia was supplying to Syria were meant exclusively for defense purposes. They include air defense means and spare parts necessary for the operation of Soviet-made equipment.