Russia in contact with Syria

13/12/2024 6:13

Russia has established direct

contacts with the political committee of Syria's Islamist rebel

group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Interfax news agency quoted

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov as saying on

Thursday.



Interfax reported that Bogdanov, speaking to journalists,

also said that Moscow aimed to maintain its military bases in

Syria to continue "fighting international terrorism".



Bogdanov said contacts with HTS, the most powerful force in

the country after the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad,

were "proceeding in constructive fashion".



Russia, he said, hoped the group would fulfil its pledges to

"guard against all excesses", maintain order and ensure the

safety of diplomats and other foreigners.



Bogdanov said Russia hoped to maintain its two bases in

Syria - a naval base in Tartous and the Khmeimim Air Base near

the port city of Latakia - to keep up efforts against

international terrorism.



"The bases are still there, where they were on Syrian

territory. No other decisions have been made for the moment," he

was quoted as saying.



"They were there at the Syrians' request with the aim of

fighting terrorists from the Islamic State. I am proceeding on

the basis of the notion that everyone agrees that the fight

against terrorism, and what remains of IS, is not over."



Maintaining that fight, he said, "requires collective

efforts and in this connection, our presence and the Khmeimim

base played an important role in the context of the overall

fight against international terrorism."