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New Syrian government ready to retain Russian military bases in country

Russia operates two military facilities in Syria - the Tartus naval logistics base and the Khmeimim air base located 20 km southeast of Latakia

WASHINGTON, February 7. /TASS/. Syria will retain Russian military bases in Tartus and Khmeimim if it is profitable for the republic, Syria’s interim Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra said.

"If we get benefits for Syria out of this, yes," he told The Washington Post in response to a related question.

Abu Qasra noted that relations between Russia and the new Syrian leadership have "improved significantly" because "in politics, there are no permanent enemies." "Perhaps relations with them [Russia] will be restored in a way that serves Syria’s interests first and then their interests," he added.

Russia operates two military facilities in Syria - the Tartus naval logistics base and the Khmeimim air base located 20 km southeast of Latakia. The Soviet base in Tartus was established in 1971 under a bilateral agreement. Russia set up its air task force in Syria on September 30, 2015 to provide support to the Syrian army in fighting the Islamic State terrorist group (outlawed in Russia).

On December 19, 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow had proposed using Russian military bases to deliver humanitarian aid to Syria.

On January 28, Russian President's Special Envoy for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, said after talks with the new authorities in Damascus that the parties had agreed to continue consultations on maintaining Russian military bases in the country. Currently, Moscow's presence in the republic remains unchanged.

Military operation in Ukraine

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Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, March 14th

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Danish lawmaker believes annexation of Greenland would cause war against US

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Russia sentences at least nine foreign mercenaries for a role in Ukraine’s Kursk incursion

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