Kremlin: No Concrete Decisions Made on Future of Russian Bases in Syria

December 16, 2024 TruthUSA

Russia has stated that its ongoing involvement in Syria, both diplomatically and militarily, will be contingent on discussions with the future government of the war-torn nation.

The status of two Russian military bases in eastern Syria is uncertain following the sudden collapse of the Damascus government last week, as declared by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Dec. 16 (source).

Since 2015, Russia has provided significant military support to the former regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

“No final decisions have been made on this matter yet,” Peskov informed reporters. “We are in communication with the factions currently in power in the country, and resolutions will be reached through dialogue.”

Following the abrupt collapse of Assad’s government on Dec. 8 due to the advancement of armed groups, notably the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) terrorist organization, in Damascus and other key cities.

Moscow, which has provided asylum to Assad and his family, operates the Hmeimim Air Base in Syria’s northeastern Latakia province and a naval base near Tartus.

The unexpected departure of Assad and the subsequent political vacuum have raised uncertainties about Russia’s presence in Syria, both militarily and diplomatically.

On Dec. 15, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that part of its diplomatic personnel in Damascus had been flown back to Moscow using a “special flight” from the Hmeimim base.

As per the statement on the ministry’s crisis response channel on Telegram, diplomatic operations at Moscow’s embassy in Damascus are ongoing.

On Dec. 16, TASS reported that Alexander Yefimov, Moscow’s ambassador to Syria, remains in Damascus and continues his duties.

“The ambassador is presently in the Syrian capital,” according to a source cited by the news agency.

‘Constructive’ Talks With HTS

In recent days, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov stated that Russian officials had engaged in discussions with political representatives of HTS in Damascus.

“Our embassy has had meetings with them [HTS] to address various matters,” Bogdanov, who also acts as the Kremlin’s special envoy for the Middle East and Africa, informed the press on Dec. 12.

Among the key issues discussed, he highlighted the importance of “ensuring the security of foreign diplomatic missions, including the Russian Embassy in Damascus.”

Bogdanov described the talks with HTS as productive.

Members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) wave flags in Syria's northwestern city of Idlib, on Aug. 20, 2021. (Omar Haj Kadour/AFP via Getty Images) — Members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) wave flags in Syria’s northwestern city of Idlib, on Aug. 20, 2021. Omar Haj Kadour/AFP via Getty Images

HTS, an ideological offshoot of ISIS and Al-Qaeda, is universally recognized as a terrorist group by all stakeholders in the prolonged Syrian conflict, including Russia and the United States.

On Dec. 15, the Financial Times, citing an HTS spokesperson, reported that Russia had facilitated the evacuation of about 400 troops from Damascus in collaboration with the terrorist group.

Kamal Lababidi, a member of HTS’s political branch, indicated that the departing Russian soldiers had been stationed in Damascus’s Qudsayya district.

Likewise, he mentioned that an undisclosed number of Russian troops previously stationed at Moscow’s embassy in Damascus had also left the capital within the past few days.

Lababidi informed the Financial Times that Russian authorities engaged in negotiations with HTS in Damascus to ensure the safe transfer of Russian personnel from the capital to the Hmeimim airbase.

He stated that the Russian personnel traveled by land to the base and then returned to Moscow by air.

According to the Financial Times, Russia is currently not evacuating the base but is withdrawing personnel from various positions in Syria.

Russia has previously indicated that its future presence in Syria hinges on negotiations with the incoming administration in Damascus.

As per a statement dated Dec. 16 on the Syrian presidency’s Telegram channel (source), Assad was reportedly flown to Russia from the Hmeimim airbase on Dec. 8 amidst “an influx of disinformation and narratives far from reality.”

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