Mission Accomplished: Moscow Begins Withdrawal of Military Equipment from Syria
Local Editor
Russia has begun to withdraw military equipment from Syria, the defense ministry said Tuesday, after Moscow announced it will pull the bulk of its forces from the war-torn country.
"Technicians at the [Hmeimim] airbase have begun preparing aircraft for long-range flights to airbases in the Russian Federation," the defense ministry said in a statement, adding that military equipment was being loaded onto the planes.
President Vladimir Putin announced Monday night that Moscow was set to withdraw the "most part" of its troops in Syria, ending its controversial bombing campaign.
The move, which came as peace talks to end the five-year conflict were underway in Geneva, is expected to put more pressure on President Bashar al-Assad, Russia's long-standing ally, to negotiate a solution to end the war.
Putin said he hoped the withdrawal would provide a "good signal" for all the warring sides in the conflict.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that Moscow's Hmeimim air base in Syria and its Tartus naval facility would remain functioning and that some military contingents would stay behind.
He did not however give any details on how many soldiers would stay in Syria, nor whether Russia's S-400 air defense systems and combat planes would remain in the country.
US Preident Barack Obama welcomed the "much-needed reduction in violence" since the cease-fire took effect late last month, the White House said in a statement about Monday's phone call. "The president underscored that a political transition is required to end the violence in Syria," the White House added.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier also welcomed Moscow's announcement saying it will put additional pressure on parties in Geneva to negotiate a peaceful transition to end the Syrian turmoil.
"This will increase the pressure on the al-Assad regime to finally and seriously negotiate a peaceful political transition in Geneva," Steinmeier said in a statement.
Comments also came from the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
"The fact that a semi-ceasefire has been holding in Syria is welcome news, it's something that we've been asking for at least two-and-a-half, three years," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said at a meeting with his Australian counterpart Julie Bishop in Canberra.
"The fact that Russia announced that it's withdrawing part of its forces indicates that they don't see an imminent need for resort to force in maintaining the ceasefire," he added. "That in and of itself should be a positive sign. Now we have to wait and see."
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
Comments
person Saied_RF
True Face of Russia
Few day ago I wrote to you that the Resistance must not trust Russia. Did you see that? It is not a 'mission accomplished'. It is another back stab by Russia. Russia Policy in Syria is a war with "No winner". They want to keep the Islamic world weak. Have you forgotten that Imam Khomeini said: "Neither East nor West" ?
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