A Russian Su-24 strike aircraft in the sky over the Khmeimim airbase in Syria. Photo: Dmitriy Vinogradov / RIA Novosti
Russian forces remain deployed in their bases in Syria as Moscow is holding talks with the country’s interim government, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya told reporters on April 19.
“Our servicemen stay where they were. We are talking to the current Syrian government,” he said to a question about the Russian military presence in the Arab country.
Russian forces are mainly deployed at two large facilities along the Syrian coast, the Tartus naval base and Khmeimim air base.
In addition, Russian forces are present at Qamishli airport in the northeast of the country, but that region is controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
Tensions have been mounting on the coast since government forces unleashed a deadly crackdown against the Alawite religious minority, which makes up most of the region’s population, last month. More than 1,600 civilians, mainly Alawites, were killed and tens of thousands others were displaced, with nearly 10,000 sheltering refuge at Khmeimim.
Russian air defenses have shot down multiple drones over the two bases on the coast since the crackdown. However, no friction with government forces has been reported.
Earlier this week, Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa sees partnership with Moscow as being in the best interests of his people.
“A few days ago, Syrian President [Ahmed] al-Sharaa was in Qatar, and we held extensive talks with him. We talked about the strategically important ties between Russia and Syria, which go way back. He is committed to continuing this cooperation, building ties based on mutual respect and respect for the interests of the two peoples,” the Emir told reports during the meeting with Putin on April 17.
Al Thani also stressed that Qatar, a key backer of al-Sharaa, remains committed to the independence and territorial integrity of Syria.
“Syria is undoubtedly going through a very difficult period, and, of course, it is necessary to support the aspirations of the new Syrian authorities to ensure territorial integrity and sovereignty of this country,” he said.
From his side, Putin said that the development of the situation in Syria was of serious importance for Russia, noting that there were many problems there.
“We would like to do everything to ensure that Syria, firstly, remains a sovereign, independent and territorially integral state, and we would like to discuss with you the possibility of providing assistance to the Syrian people, including humanitarian assistance,” Putin told the Emir. “There are many problems there: political, security, and purely economic.”
While Russia and the interim government are yet to reach an agreement on the future of the bases in Tartus and Khmeimim, the two sides maintain high levels of communications.
Recent reports revealed that Russia was in talks with the interim government to launch joint patrols in the vicinity of its bases to ensure security and maintain stability in the coast.
Some experts were quick to deem the fall of the regime of former president Bashar al-Assad last December on the hands of Islamist forces that formed the interim government as the end of Russian influence in Syria. However, Moscow continues to be one of the key players in the country. The interim government and its allies clearly recognize this. It is still too early however to speculate how the future relations between Damascus and Moscow will look like.
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