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Russia is reportedly nearing a deal with Syria to maintain a reduced military presence in the country after the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Bloomberg reported on February 17, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The agreement would allow Russia to retain some personnel and equipment in the country, the unnamed sources said without elaborating.
One source indicated that Russia aims to preserve its existing bases on the Syrian coast, the naval base in Tartus port and the air base in Khmeimim airport.
According to the sources, Russia could assist in combating ISIS terrorists active in eastern Syria. One source noted that Russia’s continued military presence might also serve as a counterbalance to Turkey’s expanding influence in the country.
Syria’s new Defense Minister Major General Murhaf Abu Qasra stated earlier this month that Syria is open to allowing Russia to maintain its naval and air bases on the coast, provided that any agreement with Moscow serves the country’s national interests.
Last week, Putin assured Syria’s transnational president Ahmad al-Sharaa of Russia’s readiness to provide aid and facilitate essential trade to help stabilize Syria’s devastated economy. Syria’s central bank received a fresh shipment of local currency from Russia just a few days later.
It’s worth noting that Russia maintained a very large military presence in Syria during the era of Assad, with dozens of posts in the west, north and east of the country to observe multiple de-escalation and ceasefire agreements as well as other posts in the south to help monitor the situation along the front with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Additional posts were situated in the center of the country to lead operations against ISIS.
With no fighting in most of Syria today, the need for such a large deployment is no longer there, thus Bloomberg’s report about a reduced Russian military presence in the country is in line with what Moscow may be hoping for now.
Overall, the relations between Russia and Syria’s new rulers appear to be moving forward. Pressure from sides in the West, mainly the European Union, appears to be fading on the backdrop of Russian-American talks on the conflict in Ukraine.
In addition, some within the EU are reportedly worried that pushing Russia out of Syria could force it to relocate to Libya, thus bringing it closer to the union’s southern shores.
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