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Conflict in Syria

Russia in talks with Syrian authorities on keeping its military bases — source

On December 9, a TASS source said that on the previous day armed groups of Bashar al-Assad's opponents had established full control of the provinces of Latakia and Tartus, where Russian military bases are located

DUBAI, December 13. /TASS/. Russia is holding talks with the new Syrian authorities on preserving its two military bases, a source familiar with the talks has told TASS.

"Moscow is currently in talks with the new authorities on preserving the presence and original status of Russian military bases in Tartus and Latakia. Russia has obtained temporary security guarantees. The military bases are functioning as usual," the source said.

On December 9, a TASS source said that on the previous day armed groups of Bashar al-Assad's opponents had established full control of the provinces of Latakia and Tartus, where Russian military bases are located. They did enter the premises of the Russian bases in Tartus and Khmeimim.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said the day before that the Russian bases remained on Syrian territory and no other decisions had been made so far. He explained that everyone proceeded from the fact that the fight against terrorism in the Middle East was not over and the Russian presence and base in Khmeimim played an important role in the context of the overall fight against international terrorism.

At the end of November, armed opposition groups launched a large-scale offensive against the positions of the Syrian army. On December 8, they entered Damascus. Government forces withdrew from the city. President Bashar Assad resigned and left the country. His last instruction was the handover of power should be peaceful.

Russian military bases in Syria

Russia keeps two military facilities in Syria - the Navy's logistics center in the port city of Tartus and the Khmeimim airbase near Jebla in Latakia province. The Soviet base in Tartus was established in 1971 under a bilateral agreement. The Russian Aerospace Force Group in Syria was created on September 30, 2015 to support the Syrian army in the fight against the Islamic State (terrorist group banned in Russia).

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Foreign policy Syrian conflict

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