Syrian new government is open to enabling Russia to maintain strategic military bases within the country following the expulsion of Kremlin ally Bashar al-Assad, Defence Minister Mahaf Abu Kasra said He told The Washington Post Thursday.
Assad, a longtime Russian ally, was overthrown in a shocking rebel attack in December, questioning the future of Tartus Naval Base in Moscow and the air base in Kumeimim.
According to Abu Kasra, Syria will consider ensuring Moscow can maintain its base as long as it serves Damascus’s interests.
“If we can get benefits from Syria, yes,” he said.
The statement shows a major change in the attitude of Syrian new leader against Moscow – who had been bombarded by Russia until recently.
Abu Kasra told The Washington Post.
“Politics has no permanent enemy,” Abu Kasra said of Russia.
“They destroyed everything”: With Russia gone, Syrians begin the long and painful process of reconstruction
Syrian new leader in January called on Moscow to “deal with past mistakes” during consultations with visiting Russian officials.
Syrian media reported that that month the country’s new government had ended a treaty granting Russia a long-term naval presence at the port of Tartus.
Tartus Naval Base and Kumeimim Air Base, the only military base in Russia other than the former Soviet Union, are key to Moscow’s activities in Africa and the Middle East.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who ordered military intervention in Syria in 2015, tried to downplay Assad’s collapse in order to strengthen Assad’s regime during the country’s civil war. Putin claimed that Russia achieved its objectives in Syria despite the change of government.
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