MOSCOW. May 21 (Interfax) - Russia will stay in Syria as long as the Syrian legitimate government and the Syrian people need this, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"A lot of objectives and goals that were set have been successfully attained. Our country has made a decisive contribution to crushing the military-political hotbed of terrorism represented by ISIL [a terrorist group banned in Russia]. After that, in December 2017, a significant part of the Russian military contingent was withdrawn from Syrian territory," Lavrov said in an interview with the Argentine newspaper Clarin.
Yet Russia's mission in Syria has not yet been completed, he said.
"In particular, the Russian center for reconciliation of opposing sides is working in full strength, military assistance battalions are continuing their service, and two bases of the Russian Armed Forces, namely the Hmeinim Airbase and the Russian naval support station in Tartus, are functioning. In this light, it would be logical to presume that our country's presence in the SAR will continue as long as the Syrian legitimate government and the friendly Syrian people need this," Lavrov said when asked how long Russia plans to stay in Syria.
Russian servicemen have been in Syria since the fall of 2015 at the invitation of the legitimate Syrian government, which had asked for Russia's help in fighting terrorism, stabilizing the situation in the country and providing preconditions for a political settlement of the lingering crisis, he said.