Russia’s military bases in Syria are important factor of protection of national interests - Putin

MOSCOW, December 28. /TASS/. The bases of Russia’s Armed Forces in Syria are an important factor of defending national interests, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a ceremony to award state medals to the servicemen who distinguished themselves during the operation. "Two Russian bases - at the Hmeymim airfield and the Tartus port - remain on the Syrian soil and will operate on the permanent basis. This is an important factor of protecting our national interests and ensuring Russia’s security in one of key strategic directions," the Supreme Commander-in-Chief said. The head of state noted that the Russian military had fulfilled all the tasks assigned to them in Syria and their units had returned to places of permanent deployment in the Russian Federation. Putin stated that the Russian army and Navy in Syria fully demonstrated their increased capabilities, successfully used the latest weapons and equipment. According to him, the pilots of the Russian Air Force made 34,000 combat flights, and the targets of militants were attacked 166 times by on high-precision missiles. "The Syrian army, with the key support of our Air Space forces and the Navy, freed from terrorists almost the entire territory of the country, over a thousand of settlements. Your heroism and professional actions helped preserve the Syrian statehood, stopped massacres, executions, terror against civilians, made it possible to embark on a political settlement of the conflict in that country, on restoration of normal life and the return of tens of thousands of refugees," the President said in his address to the Russian military. Putin is confident that the citizens of Syria will remember with gratitude the courage of Russian servicemen, who "sometimes under the fire delivered food, medicine, necessities", as well as peacekeeping efforts of Russian officers working in the center for reconciliation of the parties. Read more