Russia sent military ships to base in Syria

Russian warships were sent to the military base in Syria. The fleet is led by the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov. Included also are a patrol vessel and other vessels.

The Russian government announced Tuesday that from December, a flotilla of warships will be sent to the naval base that it has in Syria. The authorities affirmed that the fleet will be led by the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and also have a patrol vessel, an anti-submarine ship, and other vessels.

The information was released by the newspaper Izvestia of the Eurasian country, quoting retired Admiral Viktor Kravchenko, who said Russia sent these weapons to Syria to "prevent" a military conflict.

"Having any military force, other than the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), is very beneficial for the region, as it will prevent the outbreak of a military conflict," said Kravchenko, who was head of the Russian Navy from 1998 to 2005.

A Russian navy spokesman, quoted by Izvestia also confirmed the plan to send ships to the maintenance base that Russia has on the Syrian coast, near Tartus, but assured that it has nothing to do with the current situation in Syria, where in the last months riots have appeared for and against President Bashar Al Assad.

"The sending of the Russian ships to Tartus should not be seen as a reaction to what is happening in Syria (...) This was already planned from 2010, when there were no such events existing there. It has not been an active preparation, and there is no need to cancel or postpone it," insisted the spokesman, who explained that the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov also will visit Beirut, Genoa and Cyprus.

The base at Tartus, a maintenance and supply center for the Russian fleet in the Black Sea, is little used currently by Russian ships and no Russian craft are based there, although military and civilian personnel are present.

Currently, the base houses 600 soldiers and technical staff of the Russian Ministry of Defense, and it is being restored so that Russian cruisers and aircraft carriers can dock.

The Russian government discarded that these ships are being used to sow chaos or invade Syria, and it is also opposed to foreign interference and the use of force against the Arab country.

In turn, also, it has advanced to reject any proposed resolution that includes sanctions against the Assad government.

teleSUR-Efe-AFP-BBC-Reuters / lp-MM

Translated from the Spanish version by:

Lisa Karpova

Pravda.Ru