Russian base in the Syrian Tartus to be?
The Russian Federation intends to retain a logistics center, located in Syrian Tartus. This became known from the Russian Navy Commander Viktor Chirkov. According to the vice-admiral, Russia needs this base in order to provide ships and vessels during various actions, including also carrying out an anti-piracy mission in the waters of the Gulf of Aden. While the Russian Federation is trying to identify its claims to the part of the coast of Syria where the Russian base is located, tension is growing in this region. According to experts, the civil war may spread from the territory of Syria to neighboring Lebanon.
As stated by Commander-in-Chief Viktor Chirkov, the base, which is located in Tartus, is convenient for the Russian state in terms of reducing the cost of maintaining Russian warships during long hikes.
However, according to some Western observers, Russia is unlikely to maintain its base in the Syrian Tartus. According to Andreas Zumah, this is due to the fact that after imposing its repeated veto on the resolution on Syria in the UN Security Council, Russia began to be perceived by the world community as an “evil force” and the trust and sympathy of the people of Syria were lost to it.
He also believes that in the event of the overthrow of the Assad regime, Moscow will have to forget not only the base in Tartus, but also the marketing of the Russian weapons in Syria.
The military base in Syrian Tartus is the only point where Russian warships in the Mediterranean are based, and the only military base of the Russian Federation in foreign countries. The appearance of a basing station in Syria belongs to the 1971 year, its main purpose was the repair of ships belonging to the 5 th operational (Mediterranean) squadron. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the squadron ceased to exist, but the military base in Tartus remained in Syria. For twenty years, the ships of the Russian Navy came to her to replenish stocks of food and fuel during long hikes.
Now the point of logistics is two floating berths, a floating workshop, storage facilities, a barracks and economic facilities. Fifty military sailors serve in the military base.
Viktor Chirkov also said that now in the waters of the Mediterranean are 10 Russian warships and 10 support vessels that are engaged in the tasks of combat training, planned last year.
Recall that on July 10, the ships of the Baltic, Black Sea and Northern Fleets set off to perform tasks in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea with a call to Syrian Tartus. It is planned that the trip will take place within three months. As noted at the headquarters of the Naval fleet, sailors will work out joint activities related to the defense and protection of civilian vessels from pirate attacks.
Meanwhile, some Western observers have doubts that the march of Russian ships is in no way connected with the worsening situation in Syria. The United States believes that the true purpose of this campaign is to secretly deliver weapons to the Assad regime. The Americans are also pushing another version, according to which Russia seeks to designate its claims to a military base in Syrian Tartus. Today's statement by the commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy showed that Moscow does not hide its intentions to retain the logistics point in Tartus.
Some experts believe that with the advent of the threat of military intervention by the international community in the tense situation in Syria, the military base of the Russian Navy in Tartus becomes very significant in terms of geopolitical struggle in the Middle East. In the region there is a rapid glowing of the situation. Experts have no doubt that the Syrian conflict in the near future could lead to a civil war in Lebanon.
The appearance of disappointing forecasts is due to the fact that a large number of Shiites living in Lebanon support the Alawites, their co-religionists, who support the regime of Bashar al-Assad. In particular, members of the Shiite group Hezbollah organize “retaliation actions” directed against the Syrian opposition, while Sunni religious figures and politicians, by contrast, strongly support the rebels.
A similar situation in Lebanon is beneficial to Iran, which seeks to strengthen its influence in the region.
In the meantime, the Lebanese government, assessing the situation in Syria, adheres to neutrality. Meanwhile, the media reports that a civil war “in miniature” has been going on in Lebanon for a long time, since there are constantly bloody clashes between the Alawite and the Sunnis, who are the majority in the country.
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