Syria-Russia naval cooperation grows

[QUESTINY]

Syria-Russia naval cooperation grows

Web posted at: 9/14/2008 5:1:31
Source ::: AP
www.thepeninsulaqatar.com


BEIRUT • Russia said it was renovating a Syrian port for use by the Russian fleet, signaling an effort to establish a firmer foothold in the Mediterranean at a time of tensions with the United States over Georgia.

Syria was Moscow’s strongest Mideast ally during the Cold War. The alliance largely waned after the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union, though Russia has continued some weapons sales to Damascus.

But Syrian President Bashar Assad has increasingly reached out to Russia recently, including seeking weapons and offering broader military cooperation.

The announcement was the first tangible sign of any new cooperation. The Itar-Tass news agency reported a vessel from Russia’s Black Sea fleet had begun restoring facilities at Syria’s Mediterranean port of Tartus for use by the Russian military. The two countries’ naval chiefs also met in Moscow on Friday and discussed “further strengthening mutual trust and mutual understanding between the two states’ fleets,” a Russian naval official, Igor Dygalo, told Itar-Tass.

The Tartus renovations could signal an intention to have a long-term Russian naval presence there. In late August, Russia’s ambassador to Damascus, Igor Belyev, said Russian ships already patrol the area, but “a new development is that the Russian presence in the Mediterranean will become permanent.” The Russian navy’s closest access to the Mediterranean is through the Black Sea, where they have a strong naval presence. But that area has seen an increase in NATO naval activity after the Georgia conflict, prompting Russian complaints that NATO has exceeded ship numbers permitted there under international agreements.

The move comes at a time of heightened tensions between the U.S. and Russia after last month’s brief war in Georgia. The rift has raised concerns Moscow might start reaching out to U S rivals around the world to beef up military alliances. Russian bombers this month arrived in Venezuela for training exercises and the two countries are to hold joint exercises in the Caribbean in November.

In Moscow, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Friday that Russia would build economic and military ties with nations willing to do so even if the West dislikes some of these alliances. “There are many other interesting places in the world with governments maintaining friendly ties with us,” he said. “And if they like developing economic, humanitarian and military ties with us, we won’t say no.”

Syrian media made no mention of the Russian announcement Friday, and Syrian officials could not be reached for comment. In Syria, military activities are rarely discussed or divulged by authorities who keep a tight lid on state security matters. Russian military experts said Tartus would be a considerable boost for operations in the Mediterranean.

“It is much more advantageous to have such a facility than to return ships patrolling the Mediterranean to their home bases,” former Black Sea Fleet commander Adm. Eduard Baltin said, according to the Russian Interfax-AVN service.

The former first deputy commander the Russian Navy, Adm. Igor Kasatonov, said Tartus “is of great geopolitical significance considering that it is the only such Russian facility abroad.”

[Zarathustra]

Tie this together with Questiny's post about Syrian activity in Lebanon, and the article I cited as a reply to that post.