Baladi News – (Omar Yusuf)
In step that consolidates the Russian military occupation in Syria, the Russian parliament (Duma) endorsed on Friday, October 7, a Russian-Syrian agreement that allows the deployment of Russian air forces in Syria for an indefinite period, which was described by some as a finalization of selling the country by Assad to the parties that defend his remaining in power.
When presenting the agreement before the members of the parliament, Russian Deputy Minister of Defense, Nikolai Pankov, said that "the implementation of the Syrian-Russian agreement would not incur any additional expenses on the state budget, and the necessary funding will be provided in the framework of the allocations set for the budget of the Ministry of Defense."
The deputy minister added that the agreement grants the Russian troops in Hmeimim Air Base Latakia, as well as their family members, diplomatic immunity, similar to the immunity of members of the diplomatic corps and their families.
Journalist, Tammam Hazem, said that "this decision is a natural consequence of the Russian dominance over Assad in the absence of the American role. Such a decision is subject to the Russian military and political interests, as Moscow seeks to revive its old glories in the Arab region."
In an interview with Baladi News, the journalist added, "Russia has been bluffing all long since the beginning of its intervention in Syria, especially that it deceived the international community not too long ago into believing that intends to withdraw its troops from Syria, which was proved unreal on the ground."
"The Russian presence can no longer be described as an intervention. Rather, it has literally become an occupation, especially that Assad lost his legitimacy for Syrians since the beginning of their revolution," concluded the speaker.
What seems worse than this recent Russian step is a statement of the head of Duma's international committee, Leonid Slutsky, that the committee may organize a meeting in the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic soon, most probably before the yearend.
Analyzing the Russian the step from another point of view, Syrian journalist, Firas Deeb, said, " the military examination of the Russian behavior as a whole cannot be separated from the political one. The political and strategic dimensions of the decision establish the concept of Useful Syria that the Russians are working to achieve in order to ensure a stabilized geographical range that secures their interests (natural gas - oil) on the one hand, and consolidate bases that constitute a deterrent to the Anglo-American camp."
"On the other hand, the Russians failed to resolve the Ukrainian and Crimean cases. The Ukrainian geographic barrier constitutes a defensive line for Europe, which naturally pushes the Russians to seek a greater military and strategic presence in the Eastern Mediterranean region, and the ports of Lattakia and Tartus are the only available options," added the speaker.
It is noteworthy that Russia officially started its intervention in Syria in September 2015, providing aerial, land, and logistic support for Assad's regime in its war against the rebels, and committing massacres against civilians in the midst of international silence.
