Syria Demands Compensation from Russia: Will the Kremlin Manage to Save Tartus and Khmeimim

Syria demands compensation from Russia: will the Kremlin manage to save Tartus and Khmeimim Irina Chebotnikova

Russia seeks to maintain military bases in Syria. But it has not yet succeeded in doing so. Moreover, the new Syrian authorities are demanding compensation from the Kremlin.

This was reported by Channel 24 with reference to Bloomberg. On January 28, a Russian delegation arrived in Damascus – for the first time since the overthrow of Assad.

Negotiations between the Russians and the Syrians on the bases have stalled

The Kremlin hoped that it would easily resolve the issue of preserving its military bases with HTS. However, this has not happened yet.

“Russian activity at the Khmeimim airfield was curtailed, and two transport ships waited for weeks before Syrian officials allowed them to dock at the Tartus naval base to remove military equipment,” the article said.

Both the Khmeimim airbase and the port of Tartus are located on the coast. And are strategically important to Moscow. By the way, Tartus is the only Russian naval center in the Mediterranean.

Khmeimim and Tartus on the map of Syria/Infographics Bloomberg

Syrian authorities have published a press release regarding the negotiations between HTS and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov. It does not mention the bases. According to Bogdanov, there has been no progress on this issue and further negotiations are needed.

The Russian side reaffirmed its support for the ongoing positive changes in Syria, and during the dialogue, Russia's role in restoring trust with the Syrian people through concrete measures such as compensation, reconstruction and restoration was emphasized (…) The new administration also emphasized that the restoration of relations should be aimed at eliminating the mistakes of the past, respecting the will of the Syrian people and serving their interests, the statement said.

What form this compensation should take is unclear. Bogdanov said the situation was difficult, but the negotiations were constructive.