MOSCOW. March 26 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian naval base in Cam Ranh will be transferred to the Vietnamese side by July 1, chief of staff of the Russian Navy Admiral Viktor Kravchenko told Interfax-Military News Agency on Tuesday.
He said preparatory work is under way for the transfer of the entire infrastructure, including the landing strip and quay.
President Vladimir Putin officially announced the withdrawal of Russia from the base in October 2001, when he said that the liquidation of the base would begin on January 1, 2002.
Asked to comment on the announcement, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said that Putin's decision on the abolition of military bases in Vietnam and Cuba was made at the request of the Defense Ministry.
"Reasons for our withdrawal from Cam Ranh are not limited to the sphere of economy. The nature and volume of missions assigned to the Armed Forces has changed considerably over the past few years. Our permanent military presence in the Indian Ocean zone is no longer motivated by state security interests," Ivanov said.
According to open Western media, Cam Ranh in 1984 was Moscow's biggest overseas base outside the Warsaw Pact with a staff of up to 5,000, including operating personnel. In 2001, the base employed about 400 Russian citizens, including military sailors, workers and employees.
The Vietnamese party has repeatedly announced that the Cam Ranh base will be used only in national interests after Russia's pull-out.
After the Cam Ranh base is disbanded, Russia will retain its only overseas base in the Syrian port of Tatrus, where a floating workshop servicing both Russian and Syrian vessels is located.