Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the government to agree with the Syrian leadership on expanding the Russian military base Khmeimim. The President considers it necessary to add additional real estate objects and the water area to the base. The expansion of the base should be carried out on the basis of an agreement previously concluded with Syria.
“To accept the proposal of the Government of the Russian Federation to sign Protocol No. 1 to the Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Syrian Arab Republic on the deployment of an aviation group of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic dated August 26, 2015, on the transfer of additional real estate and water area,” the statement says the text of a document published on the official portal of legal information.
In accordance with the instructions of the head of state, negotiations with the Syrian side should be conducted by the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Russia has been leasing the Khmeimim airbase since 2015. The provision of its territory was one of the conditions for providing military assistance to the government of the republic in the war against terrorist groups.
