TSAMTO, March 16. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in an interview with RIA Novosti, called the expansion of Russia's military presence in the Arab Republic a good idea.
Another key statement by Bashar al-Assad was that Damascus recognizes the new borders of Russia with the territories that joined after the referendums: the DPR, the LPR, the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions.
RIA Novosti was the first media outlet to talk to Bashar al-Assad immediately after his talks in the Kremlin.
"We believe that if Russia has a desire to expand the bases or increase their number, then this is a technical or logistical issue. If there is such a desire, then we believe that the expansion of the Russian presence in Syria is good, it will serve this idea," he said in an interview with RIA Novosti.
At the same time, Russian military bases in Syria should receive the most advanced weapons to ensure effective deterrence of threats, B. Assad said.
According to the Syrian president, on the eve of the Russian and Syrian sides discussed issues of military cooperation at the level of defense ministers, but the issue of bases was not specifically raised.
"We usually do not announce what kind of cooperation will be carried out between us and Russia. Because this is a military issue, which always has a kind of secrecy. This is natural," the Syrian leader said.
The sides, according to Bashar al-Assad, have a common view on the issue of bases both in a political and military way. "From a military point of view, we have not discussed this issue," the Syrian president said.
At the same time, the Syrian leader expressed confidence that Russia's military presence should not be temporary and limited only to the fight against terrorism. "We are talking about the international balance, and Russia's presence in Syria has a significance related to the balance of forces in the world as a country located on the Mediterranean Sea," he stressed.
As RIA Novosti reminds, in August 2015, Moscow and Damascus signed an agreement on the indefinite deployment of an air group of the Russian armed forces in Syria. It is stationed at the Khmeimim airfield (Latakia province), which, together with its infrastructure and the necessary territory, by agreement of the parties, are provided for use by Russia free of charge.
In addition, in 2017, Moscow and Damascus signed an agreement on the deployment of a Russian naval logistics center in Tartus for 49 years. It is envisaged that 11 Russian warships, including nuclear-powered ones, can be in the port of Tartus at the same time. The Agreement can be automatically extended for 25-year periods.
