Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday reaffirmed his country’s interest in maintaining its military bases in Syria even after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad.
Discussions must be held with those forces that are now in control of the country, Putin said in Moscow at his televised annual question-and-answer session.
“Our interests must coincide,” he said, adding for example that Russia had suggested using the air force and naval base for humanitarian aid in the country.
Russia had also recently helped with the transfer of 4,000 Iranian troops to Tehran, Putin noted.
Furthermore, Russia was maintaining contact with all groups in Syria and the states in the region, the majority of which have an interest in ensuring that the Russian bases remain.
In this context, Putin did not comment on reports of an alleged transfer of Russian troops from the Syrian bases to Libya.
