Ruh, I'm trying to keep the Mediterranean route.Negotiations with rebels over Syrian military bases

Bloomberg reported on the 12th that Russia is negotiating with Syrian rebels to protect its navy and air base in Syria, which has enormous strategic value, and is close to an agreement.

Russia, which used to operate military bases in Syria defending the Bashar al-Assad dictatorship, has been anxious to lose them when the dictatorship fell to the rebels.

Russia is negotiating with the rebels to maintain naval and air bases it has in the western Syrian coastal city of Tartus and northwestern Khmeimim, respectively, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Russian sources said the Russian Defense Ministry believes an informal agreement with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the main force behind the Syrian opposition that ousted the Assad regime, can maintain the bases in Syria.

Russian state media also quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov as saying Russia had contacted HTS in the Syrian capital of Damascus and hoped the group would keep its promise to ensure the safety of foreign diplomats.

Bogdanov cited the elimination of the Islamic State (ISIS), an extremist terrorist organization, as a reason for maintaining a Syrian base.

"Everyone will agree that the fight against terrorism and the remnants of ISIS is not over," he said. "This requires joint efforts, and in this sense, our presence and Russian bases have played an important role."

"The base remains in Syrian territory, and no other decision has been made," he said.

Russia signed a contract with the Syrian government in 2017 to lease naval and air force bases for 49 years, but the contract has become useless due to the collapse of the Assad regime.

A naval base is the only channel through which Russia can enter the Mediterranean, and an air base is a key asset enabling Russia to conduct operations in Africa.

These are bases that must be guarded by Russia.

Bloomberg, citing Western officials, said the international community had also informally expressed interest in Russia maintaining its base for the time being.

It is based on the judgment that military bases can play a role in deterring extremist forces such as ISIS from the outbreak in Russia.

Western officials say HTS has also signaled that it has no intention of engaging in hostilities against Russia.

ISIS, designated a terrorist group by the United States and several other countries, took extensive territory in eastern Syria and Iraq at the beginning of the Syrian civil war, which began in 2011.ISIS, also called

IS, was defeated in March 2019 by Kurdish militias and Iraqi forces in Syria sponsored by the United States and others, but some remnants still remain.