Russia and Syria are close to an agreement on military bases

^{Photo: AP}
Russia is close to an agreement with the new Syrian government on the status of its military bases in Tartus and Latakia. Bloomberg reported this, citing its sources.

According to the agency, Moscow intends to maintain its presence in the region in exchange for helping Damascus in the fight against ISIS.

According to one of the Bloomberg interlocutors, the presence of Russian military bases in Syria could help the country's new government "balance" the growing influence of Turkey. However, we are talking about a "reduced" Russian presence in the region. A final decision on this issue has not yet been made.

The Russian military contingent was sent to Syria in September 2015 with the aim of eliminating the global terrorist group. The 720th Russian Naval Base is located in Tartus province, and the Khmeimim air base is located in Latakia province.

On February 12, Russian President Vladimir Putin had his first telephone conversation with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. During the conversation, the Russian leader expressed his readiness to assist in the socio-economic development of Syria, including through humanitarian aid. According to the Kremlin, the telephone conversation was "constructive, business-oriented and meaningful." Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”