Bases could be transformed into humanitarian hubs to facilitate the delivery of goods to African nations
The mission of the Russian forces in Syria needs to be revised, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. He added that military bases could be transformed into humanitarian hubs.
The situation in Syria has been volatile since the ouster of longtime President Bashar Assad, a close ally of Moscow, by a coalition led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) late last year.
Despite the removal of Assad, Russia has pledged to maintain its presence and support for Syria, confirming that its forces will continue operating from the Khmeimim Air Base and Tartus naval facility, which it leases under a long-term agreement signed with Damascus in 2017.
In an interview with the Bridges to the East project on Wednesday, Lavrov said that given the transition of power in Syria, the functions of the Russian military need to change.
“This also applies to our military bases… this is no longer a presence for militarily supporting the legitimate authorities against various opposition forces. We need to restructure their functions,” he said, adding that one possible role could be the creation of a humanitarian hub.
“One of the obvious tasks that could be useful to the Syrians, their neighbors, and many other countries is a humanitarian hub – using the port and airport to deliver humanitarian supplies from Russia and the Persian Gulf countries to African countries,” Lavrov stated. Regional partners agree that “this will be in demand,” he added. “We are ready to coordinate the details. In principle, the issue has been discussed. There is mutual interest.”
Lavrov reiterated that Russia is ready to work with and assist Syria despite the political shift, stressing that “the unity of Syria should be of interest to all countries” that have influence in the region.
Syria remains deeply fractured by sectarian divisions and armed groups. Assad’s ouster was followed by months of clashes between Islamist factions and government forces. Adding to the challenges, Israel invaded the buffer zone near the occupied Golan Heights, claiming that it aimed to block hostile actors along its border.
