Russian President Vladimir Putin submitted for ratification to the State Duma a draft agreement between Russia and Syria on the indefinite deployment of an air group of the Russian Armed Forces in the area of the Khmeimim airfield (Latakia province).
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The document was published in the State Duma database, RBC reports.
The explanatory note to the bill notes that the air group is stationed at the Khmeimim airfield at the request of the Syrian side. In accordance with the document, the airport infrastructure and the necessary territory, by agreement of the parties, are provided for use by the Russian military free of charge.
“The use of the Russian aviation group is carried out in accordance with the decision of its commander according to plans agreed upon by the parties. The composition of the Russian aviation group is determined by the Russian side in agreement with the Syrian side,” the draft agreement says.
On July 29, it was reported that the Russian government approved the agreement on the deployment of a Russian air group in Syria and presented it to the president for submission to the State Duma for ratification. The agreement was signed in Damascus on August 26, 2015.
Let us recall that on September 30, 2015, Russia began a military operation in Syria, and on March 14, 2016, Putin gave instructions to withdraw the main forces from there with the motivation that “they completed the tasks assigned to them.”