Russia, Syria sign deal on military presence

Russia and Syria in August signed an agreement giving Moscow the go-ahead for an open-ended military presence in the war-torn country, Moscow has revealed, reports AFP from Moscow. The agreement was signed in Damascus on August 26, 2015, more than a month before Russia launched a bombing campaign against the Islamic State group and other “terrorists” at the request of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad.
The Russian government on Thursday released the text of the agreement, which said that it had been “concluded for an open-ended period of time.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Russia deployed warplanes and personnel at the Hmeimim airbase in Latakia in Syrian government-held territory.
The deal was made to defend the “sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of the Russian Federation and the Syrian Arab Republic,” according to the document.
President Vladimir Putin justified the campaign launched in September—Russia’s first major foreign intervention since the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 — by saying that Moscow needed to target Islamic State fighters before they crossed into Russia.

Russia, Syria sign deal on military presence

Russia and Syria in August signed an agreement giving Moscow the go-ahead for an open-ended military presence in the war-torn country, Moscow has revealed, reports AFP from Moscow. The agreement was signed in Damascus on August 26, 2015, more than a month before Russia launched a bombing campaign against the Islamic State group and other terrorists at the request of Syrias President Bashar al-Assad. The Russian government on Thursday released the text of the agreement, which said that it had been concluded for an open-ended period of time. Under the terms of the agreement, Russia deployed warplanes and personnel at the Hmeimim airbase in Latakia in Syrian government-held territory. The deal was made to defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of the Russian Federation and the Syrian Arab Republic, according to the document. President Vladimir Putin justified the campaign launched in SeptemberRussias first major foreign intervention since the Soviet Unions invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 by saying that Moscow needed to target Islamic State fighters before they crossed into Russia.