Google Cloud Speech-to-Text API (Chirp) + Gemini 2.5 Flash Non-Thinking. Treat it as a searchable index of what was broadcast, not a quotation record.
00:00:04intersects with security on the verge of, In my estimation, this or a short period
00:00:08administration and political
00:00:15and the proof is that military
00:00:31The Syrian coast,
00:00:33may be a delay the steps to restore the state's sovereignty over
00:00:37its institutions and facilities intersect
00:00:39with another path whose title is establishing security
00:00:43and prosecuting those whose names were linked
00:00:45to violations that affected Syrians. And between a diplomatic
00:00:48path that follows the arrangements for the Russian presence and a security
00:00:52path that opens the files of the past,
00:00:55the state is moving forward in addressing a heavy legacy according to parallel
00:00:59and integrated paths. At Latakia
00:01:02International Airport and Hmeimim Airbase,
00:01:06intelligence was waiting for them a field tour for the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Assad Al-Shaibani,
00:01:10there as a training and meetings with Russian officials to follow up
00:01:13on the implementation of the memorandum of understanding
00:01:16the previous data and information signed between Damascus and Moscow and to determine
00:01:20the executive steps related to reorganizing
00:01:23the Russian presence, including those related
00:01:26to the Syrian state's takeover of the administration of civilian
00:01:30facilities.
00:01:31conducted by the internal security forces
00:01:36in cooperation with the Anti-Terrorism Department, resulted
00:01:40in the arrest of five senior officers
00:01:44and leaders of the Air Force in the defunct regime. The Internal Security said
00:01:47that investigations and military records
00:01:51showed
00:01:53Syrian sovereignty
00:01:54deliver supplies to their involvement in planning, managing, and executing aerial bombing operations
00:01:58that targeted populated areas and caused human casualties
00:02:02and widespread destruction. Between
00:02:04to entering this path with the follow-up of agreements that shape the features
00:02:08of the next stage and the follow-up of files
00:02:10that date back to the years of the revolution,
00:02:14the steps of implementing and consolidating the state's
00:02:17and follow up on matters authority on the ground and completing the accountability
00:02:20paths according to law continue. Two different
00:02:23paths in their tools meet at one
00:02:26title, which is building a new stage on national
00:02:30administration of facilities, security that protects Syrians,
00:02:35anywhere in the and justice that follows up on pending files. A new episode of
00:02:38the "Syria Time" program. Welcome.
00:02:47center, which does not
00:02:50of a few planes at the base, Mrs. Rama,
00:03:00Welcome back. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Asaad
00:03:04Al-Shaibani, conducted a field tour inside Latakia
00:03:07to improve their relations International Airport. Following the tour, Minister Al-Shaibani held
00:03:11of the arms embargo. a meeting with a number of
00:03:13So they Russian officials to follow up on the implementation of the memorandum of understanding
00:03:17signed between the two sides and to monitor
00:03:21roots in this
00:03:21regarding the files that the progress of the agreed-upon executive steps. More details in this
00:03:24report.
00:03:27From the negotiating table to the airport tarmac,
00:03:31Syrian-Russian understandings are moving from the realm of politics
00:03:34for training the new Syrian to the realm of implementation,
00:03:35officers in the new state and in between, a path in which the Syrian state
00:03:40sovereignty of decision, reorders its presence and manages its strategic facilities
00:03:42on a coast where considerations of sovereignty
00:03:46and security intersect. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Asaad Hassan
00:03:49Al-Shaibani, conducted a field tour inside Latakia International
00:03:52Airport, accompanied by the Head of the General Staff,
00:03:55Major General Ali Al-Naasan, and commanders
00:03:58of the Air and Naval Forces, and the Head of Military
00:04:01Intelligence, in a scene that combined diplomatic
00:04:04decision-making with military and security institutions
00:04:08within a civilian facility of strategic
00:04:14Yes, I think in this al-Assad's army, which had importance. Following the tour, Minister Al-Shaibani held
00:04:18to cooperate with Russia We also have an interest a meeting with Russian officials to follow up on the implementation of the memorandum of understanding signed between the two sides, which determines
00:04:21the fate of the two Russian
00:04:23and strategic balance bases in Hmeimim and Tartous, after
00:04:26a year and a half of intensive negotiations and discussions
00:04:30led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.
00:04:33These understandings outline a path for reorganizing the Russian
00:04:38Airport and seized a presence on the Syrian coast and grant the state the administration of civilian facilities,
00:04:42primarily Hmeimim Airport and the fourth commercial
00:04:45pier in Tartous Port. The importance of Latakia Airport
00:04:48for cooperation, at lies in the fact that it and as a security and military represents a practical
00:04:51model for this path,
00:04:53countries because after the General Authority for Civil Aviation and Air Transport
00:04:57took over its administration in a step
00:05:00that returns the facility to the national civil aviation system. Thus,
00:05:04the tour does not appear to be a mere
00:05:09otherwise the government... So you agree protocol detail, but rather part of a reorganization of the state's roles
00:05:12and institutions on the coast, where sovereignty
00:05:17and diplomacy with
00:05:20understandings with the ability to
00:05:22on the ground.
00:05:26To talk more about this axis, our viewers, I am joined in the studio by Mr. Muhammad
00:05:30Nasser Al-Beqaai, military expert. Welcome, Mr. Muhammad, to this
00:05:34episode. We are also joined from Doha by Dr.
00:05:37Mahmoud Al-Hamza, political analyst. Welcome, Doctor, also
00:05:41with us in this episode and this particular
00:05:44axis. I will start with you, Mr. Muhammad Nasser. What
00:05:48is the significance of Minister Al-Shaibani's visit
00:05:51to Hmeimim Airbase and Latakia Airport
00:05:54at this time, and
00:05:57what are the most prominent files that could have been discussed
00:06:01there? Good evening, Ms. Rama, to you and the viewers
00:06:05of Al-Akhbariya channel and your honorable guest.
00:06:08In fact, Minister Al-Shaibani's talks during his visit
00:06:11to Hmeimim revolved around
00:06:14the three-month period that the Syrian government
00:06:16gave to the Russian state to schedule
00:06:20the conversion of these bases, Hmeimim Airbase
00:06:23and Tartous Naval Base, into joint bases for
00:06:26training. They gave the deadline starting from August
00:06:30and ending in November 2026.
00:06:33In fact, this issue has several aspects. Let's start
00:06:37with the basic aspects. The basic
00:06:40aspect is that
00:06:43today the Russian presence in Syria
00:06:46is a presence in joint bases. It is no longer called a Russian
00:06:50presence. Hmeimim Airbase is no longer a Russian
00:06:53base. It has become a joint Syrian-Russian base
00:06:57for training. So its name has changed, effectively
00:07:01and practically. Of course, the deadline is three months until November, ending
00:07:04with understandings and the withdrawal of most
00:07:07of the existing forces and maintaining the regulated
00:07:11forces that were
00:07:21agreed upon. And the Russian team. Okay, in your opinion,
00:07:24why did Minister Al-Shaibani choose to go to the base himself
00:07:29on the ground and discussions, instead of being summoned to offices
00:07:33in Damascus? In fact, Minister Al-Shaibani
00:07:36was the leader of the team that began talks with the Russians
00:07:40in this regard. And of course, when talks begin
00:07:43between any two teams in any country
00:07:48world, there is a building of trust
00:07:51between the two teams. And Minister Al-Shaibani is known
00:07:54for his credibility and his political shrewdness. In fact, of course,
00:07:58Minister Al-Shaibani was not alone in this visit or in the previous visit
00:08:02when the agreement was made, Ms. Rama. The previous agreement included
00:08:06a security team from the Syrian General Staff, the Ministry of Defense, intelligence,
00:08:09and security, and all entities
00:08:12related to the base and weapons and deployment.
00:08:16As for Minister Al-Shaibani, he decided,
00:08:20of course, if we are to speak honestly and frankly, Minister Al-Shaibani
00:08:24went to Syrian territory. Today, Hmeimim Airbase is no different
00:08:27from Damascus. It is Syrian territory with some
00:08:30regulated Russian presence. So it is
00:08:34a joint Syrian-Russian base. It is no
00:08:37longer a Russian base
00:08:40at all. Yes. Well, Dr. Mahmoud, welcome back.
00:08:43Doctor, in your opinion, with regard to these
00:08:46signed agreements and the progress of
00:08:49the operations to hand over these points to Syria definitively,
00:08:53what were, in your
00:08:56opinion, the most important files that were discussed as a first
00:08:59stage for the handover to begin during the coming
00:09:02days? First, good evening,
00:09:06Rama, and to the esteemed guest
00:09:09and all viewers. In fact, the
00:09:12visit of Foreign Minister Al-Shaibani to Hmeimim
00:09:16base is significant; it is not
00:09:20ordinary, because in August,
00:09:23it was agreed and a memorandum of understanding was signed
00:09:26that within three months, Latakia Airport must be handed
00:09:30over to the Syrian state to become an international
00:09:33civilian airport, and Hmeimim Military Base
00:09:37will be transformed into a training and educational
00:09:39center that no longer has any military
00:09:43status. Or it is no longer called a base. No, it will
00:09:46not be a base; it is a training, educational,
00:09:49and rehabilitation center. Of course, Tartous Port has
00:09:53another status because it will be reclaimed,
00:09:56as it is fundamentally civilian. The problem is in Hmeimim,
00:09:59considering there are military aircraft. So what
00:10:03is the reason for the visit and what are the topics that were discussed? We must
00:10:07mention that Minister Al-Shaibani's visit was preceded by
00:10:11a visit by a high-ranking Syrian military delegation to the base.
00:10:14Under the leadership of the Chief of Staff, Major
00:10:17General Al-Naasan. He visited
00:10:21the base and learned about the military
00:10:25situation.
00:10:28prompted Al-Shaibani's visit.
00:10:32My estimation is that the Russians did not fully
00:10:35adhere to the agreement,
00:10:40aircraft are still present in the base, and as I heard
00:10:43a reporter from one of the television channels, perhaps
00:10:47Syrian TV or Al-Akhbariya, said that
00:10:49fuel tankers are coming to the base in
00:10:53very large numbers. This means that there
00:10:58in the withdrawal and the removal of the
00:11:01fighting military forces because the military
00:11:05nature or the Russian military presence
00:11:09here must be removed. Military aircraft
00:11:12must leave, for example, and so on.
00:11:15So Al-Shaibani's visit, as he is the Minister of Foreign
00:11:19Affairs and, as the esteemed guest mentioned,
00:11:22he led the negotiations
00:11:25over a year and a half to sign the memorandum of understanding.
00:11:29The Foreign Minister represents the Syrian state completely, and he was accompanied
00:11:32by a large military and security delegation. So the visit
00:11:36is, in my opinion, not
00:11:38ordinary, but rather stems from
00:11:41a lack of,
00:11:45that is, a concern on the Syrian side about implementation. Okay, if we
00:11:48move away from the aspect of concern or confirm it, I want you
00:11:52to analyze the situation in a stable way. When
00:11:55Minister Al-Shaibani went to the base,
00:11:59he went in civilian clothes, meaning he did not go in a formal
00:12:02suit
00:12:05or in a formal diplomatic presence as
00:12:09we have always known. Rather, he was
00:12:12in ordinary clothes, walking among the Russian
00:12:15officers and the Syrian individuals who accompanied him.
00:12:19At the same time, there is always talk
00:12:22about opening security files first. So in your opinion,
00:12:26were there any preliminaries
00:12:29the Russian officers present there?
00:12:33Yes, as I said, there was a visit by a high-level Syrian
00:12:37military delegation to the base. No, I'm talking about Minister
00:12:40Al-Shaibani's visit after that military visit.
00:12:44Yes, I mean, I say that if
00:12:47the military visit had been,
00:12:51that is, if the military delegation had been convinced that things
00:12:55were going normally, Al-Shaibani would not have gone to the base.
00:12:57And therefore, Al-Shaibani's visit, of course, Al-Shaibani is the civilian
00:13:01man, he is the Minister of Syrian Diplomacy,
00:13:03and he wears civilian clothes, and he always
00:13:07wears civilian clothes, whether he wears a tie or
00:13:10not. But he represents,
00:13:13I believe, the presidency of the state. That is,
00:13:17the visit, despite the appearance and clothing,
00:13:20represents the Syrian state. The proof is that
00:13:23he conducted negotiations with Russian officers
00:13:27and discussed with them. He did not just go to see and
00:13:30leave. He sat and discussed and negotiated.
00:13:34This indicates that there are files that require coordination,
00:13:38scrutiny, and follow-up between
00:13:41the two parties. Yes. Well, Mr. Muhammad Nasser,
00:13:46Minister Al-Shaibani opened with the Russian officers
00:13:49present at the base and at the airport,
00:13:52was there any priority to discuss the rehabilitation of the airport
00:13:56there, or even the logistical
00:14:00development at that point, given that it will also be used as a military training point? First and
00:14:03foremost, Ms. Rama, Hmeimim Airbase was not
00:14:07originally a Russian military base before
00:14:112015. It was originally
00:14:14Latakia International Airport, established in
00:14:171964, and then developed until
00:14:211985. That is, it was used by the Assad
00:14:25regime for illegal activities. Then in
00:14:281994, when Bassel al-Assad was killed, it was named
00:14:32Bassel al-Assad International Airport. It was used,
00:14:35and everyone knows why and for what purposes
00:14:38it was used. In 2015, when
00:14:42the Syrian opposition controlled a large part of
00:14:45Syria, and the situation of the Iranian
00:14:48militias and the former Assad
00:14:51army, Bashar al-Assad's fleeing army, deteriorated.
00:14:55Soleimani, the deceased, went to Russia and asked for support
00:14:57and assistance. At that point, the Russians came to Latakia
00:15:03portion of the private or public lands in the Hmeimim
00:15:06area, which is about 20 kilometers south of Latakia
00:15:09city. They established a military base
00:15:13there. Today, Minister Al-Shaibani's visit is not about infrastructure
00:15:16or rehabilitation or anything like that. Minister Al-Shaibani's
00:15:19visit is to remind the Russians that the Syrian
00:15:23government is an independent government with an independent
00:15:26decision. We agreed with you on three months. You must
00:15:30fulfill this promise
00:15:34with Professor Mahmoud Hamza that there might be a Russian
00:15:37failure in implementing
00:15:40the agreement between the two parties,
00:15:43which made this visit necessary now or at this time? I will tell you
00:15:47about a very important incident, perhaps few have
00:15:50mentioned it. There was a Syrian intelligence
00:15:53lead, and here I salute Mr. Abdul Kader
00:15:56Tahan. Two weeks ago,
00:15:59or three weeks ago, four Russian ships
00:16:03entered the Strait of Gibraltar and were heading to the southern
00:16:06Spanish ports. Admiral
00:16:10Levchenko, the supply ship Sparta,
00:16:13the technical support ship Academician Parschin,
00:16:16and the tanker General Skilov.
00:16:20These four ships were heading to Spain,
00:16:24but when they entered the Strait of Gibraltar, they shut
00:16:27down their radar and radio systems and disappeared
00:16:31from satellite for two weeks. They were
00:16:33found in the Tartous joint naval base,
00:16:37which is supposed to be joint between Syria and Russia. What surprised
00:16:40the Russians was that Syrian
00:16:43at the base. This is what completely surprised the Russians. They know
00:16:47very well that the new Syrian intelligence
00:16:50no longer has
00:16:54with the former regime, which was burned, and so on. But they
00:16:57have begun to realize that this country has active
00:17:01men, it has well-trained intelligence men.
00:17:05Therefore, the Russians could not play games again.
00:17:09Well, what is the purpose of sending ships without
00:17:12informing the Syrian state or without its knowledge and crossing its territorial
00:17:16waters? Russia, Ms. Rama, Russia
00:17:20does not have bases, Russia has troops
00:17:23in Sudan and it has troops
00:17:27in Libya, so it needs Tartous base to
00:17:32those forces in Sudan
00:17:35or in Libya. So that's how they
00:17:38arrived. Perhaps, you know, Russian intelligence is
00:17:41cunning intelligence, the KGB. Perhaps they tried to play
00:17:45this game as a test for Syrian intelligence
00:17:48or for the new Syrian state. And perhaps
00:17:51they tried to blind global radars and satellite
00:17:55communications to send a specific message that they can enter
00:17:59anywhere without anyone seeing them. But Syrian intelligence
00:18:02and Syrian security were waiting for them, and very
00:18:05few have come across this. I discovered it through
00:18:09research and investigation on satellite
00:18:12networks and security networks. Therefore, Minister
00:18:16Al-Shaibani is at the base today to remind the Russians
00:18:19that this circumvention and pragmatism,
00:18:23as they call it in political science, will not work
00:18:26with us. We agreed with you on three months, starting in August
00:18:30and ending in November. You must implement it. There are several
00:18:34aircraft, as you mentioned. Some stations filmed
00:18:37with drones. I reviewed the report and commented
00:18:41on it on those stations. There are four
00:18:44Su-34 aircraft, two of which are inoperable
00:18:48and two are ready. There is also an Ilyushin
00:18:5176 cargo plane, an Ilyushin 62
00:18:55cargo plane, and another Antonov cargo plane.
00:18:59I think these cargo planes are there to transport
00:19:02these warplanes, or perhaps we don't know what the Syrians
00:19:06and Russians agreed upon regarding the presence of these planes
00:19:13on these weapons, given that the new Syria
00:19:16under the leadership of His Excellency President Ahmed al-Shara
00:19:19kept this base joint between Syria
00:19:22and Russia. And here, if you'll allow me, I'd like to make a precise
00:19:26statement. This is to create a balance in the region.
00:19:29That is, we do not want to expel the Russians permanently from Syria,
00:19:33even though we know what they did to the Syrian people
00:19:36and how they helped the previous regime. However, we also
00:19:40do not overlook the fact that the Russians, on the night
00:19:43of the fall, neglected to provide support to Bashar
00:19:48gradually begun to collapse.
00:19:51in the Russian presence. Don't forget, Ms. Rama, that
00:19:55we have many military units, tanks, vehicles,
00:19:59and aircraft. We need the Russians either to train
00:20:02our soldiers on some modern equipment if we want
00:20:06to diversify our arms sources between East
00:20:10and West, knowing that the Syrian military
00:20:14doctrine has not yet been clarified. Whether we want
00:20:17to arm ourselves from the West or the East,
00:20:22expert, I prefer that the Syrian army
00:20:26be armed with a mixed Western-Eastern
00:20:30doctrine so that no country in the future
00:20:33can pressure us on the issue
00:20:36of spare parts, ammunition, and weapons. We should
00:20:39have them, especially since Syria, according to the US
00:20:42Federal Reserve, has exited the sanctions framework by lifting
00:20:46sanctions on arms imports to Syria at 2
00:20:50PM today. This is a victory
00:20:53for Syrian diplomacy. Yes. Well, Dr. Mahmoud,
00:20:55in your opinion, did Minister Al-Shaibani's message
00:20:59from this visit reach the Russian forces
00:21:03and even the Russian presidency in general,
00:21:06and will they adhere to the handover at
00:21:10the specified time in November?
00:21:13Yes, I think it did. I have
00:21:17evidence from the Russian media in Russian.
00:21:20They almost did not mention the visit. They
00:21:23say the visit of the Chief of Staff to the base.
00:21:27They only spoke very briefly about
00:21:30Al-Shaibani's visit because the visit of a Foreign Minister
00:21:34to the base is a big deal. It is not
00:21:37an ordinary military delegation. It is a major
00:21:40political diplomatic event.
00:21:44And this indicates that the Russians
00:21:46do not want to
00:21:50announce and promote
00:21:53the fact that there was a visit by the Foreign
00:21:56Minister. Why would the Foreign Minister visit
00:22:00the base? There is a point here that I must
00:22:03mention. Latakia Airport,
00:22:07during the Russian
00:22:09military presence during the defunct
00:22:13regime, was practically transformed into
00:22:16a military airport. The Russians are
00:22:20now using it, but the Syrian
00:22:23state wants to return it to
00:22:26being an international civilian airport. Therefore, the presence
00:22:30of Russian military aircraft
00:22:33next to the airport is, in my opinion,
00:22:37illogical. From a security and sovereign perspective,
00:22:40the airport must be protected, and its
00:22:44movement must be under purely Syrian
00:22:46supervision. Frankly, I believe that
00:22:52the memorandum of understanding is not being implemented
00:22:55as required, and this necessitated the intervention
00:22:58of the Foreign Minister. I believe the Russians
00:23:02will not easily withdraw
00:23:05their aircraft, officers, and presence.
00:23:09They have had a military presence for ten
00:23:12years, so they have established
00:23:15themselves in this region and
00:23:18taken root. Therefore,
00:23:27the Syrians are in a hurry. Within three months,
00:23:30all military sites must be evacuated,
00:23:34except for a training
00:23:37have a military nature, but is an educational
00:23:41center for Russian officers. In the future,
00:23:44Arab officers, foreign officers, may come.
00:23:48This is an educational center in which Syrians
00:23:52and Russians participate. Everyone is working
00:23:57with the new Syrian state, especially after the lifting
00:24:03may have a share in arms purchases.
00:24:07No, the Russians will not stall,
00:24:10challenging the Syrian state, but it seems
00:24:14there might be technical and logistical problems.
00:24:17But they know that they must withdraw. The Russian
00:24:20leadership fully understands what the new Syria
00:24:24is. This new Syrian leadership emphasizes
00:24:27Syria's independence,
00:24:30and cooperation on an equal
00:24:34footing, meaning equally
00:24:37and respecting the other. They are fully aware
00:24:40of these matters, and therefore there can be
00:24:44no stalling, especially since Syria has partners
00:24:48to cooperate with. There is Turkey,
00:24:50there are the United States, the Gulf states, meaning
00:24:53there are countries that help, support, and cooperate
00:24:56with Syria, and Syria does not need Russia
00:25:00very much. However, I emphasize my colleague's
00:25:03words that it is beneficial for Syria in general
00:25:08and to have a Russian presence in the region to create a geopolitical
00:25:13with the West to prevent alignment, meaning so that
00:25:16we do not return to the issue of alignment that
00:25:22the defunct regime adopted with its camp. Exactly. So that
00:25:25we have options, meaning diversifying international
00:25:29and foreign relations has become a characteristic. Look
00:25:33at the Gulf states. They are strong allies
00:25:36of the United States and the West, but they have opened up to
00:25:39Russia, China, India, and many
00:25:43they learned from experience that when you
00:25:46are a hostage to America, this is a big problem.
00:25:50Meaning if you are a hostage to the right party or
00:25:54the left party, there will always be a problem.
00:25:56Mr. Muhammad Nasser,
00:25:59in your opinion, during the coming period, we are
00:26:06from, implementing this agreement. November
00:26:09is approaching. What Syrian interest will
00:26:12be formed after the Syrian state
00:26:15takes over the base and the airport, and
00:26:19how will the administration mechanism be, since it will
00:26:23transform from military to civilian? First, before I answer
00:26:26you, there is a very important point that everyone
00:26:29should know. The transformation of the alliance
00:26:41between Russia and former Syria.
00:26:43Secondly and finally, the base is no longer
00:26:47a refuge for outlaws and those dreaming of the return
00:26:51of so-and-so or so-and-so, or of receiving expected
00:26:54Russian support for some movements that
00:26:57they might imagine on the coast.
00:27:01Let's move to the question, Ms. Rama. Syria
00:27:04will achieve many gains by taking
00:27:08over the two bases or by the Russians remaining
00:27:12force. Firstly, on the tourism
00:27:15front, tourism will flourish at Tartous Port,
00:27:19whether from Russia or elsewhere. The port will become
00:27:23civilian for cargo transportation, and its revenues
00:27:26will go to Syria, to the Syrian government,
00:27:30to the Central Bank. And there will be tourist
00:27:32groups coming. You know that civilians
00:27:36are always affected by military sights, whether in ports
00:27:40or airports, or so on. They consider it like
00:27:43some countries, North Korea, a police state closed
00:27:46to itself. This is on the tourism front.
00:27:50If we talk about the political and sovereign
00:27:52repercussions, strengthening
00:27:56ends decades of humiliation
00:27:59and an unreal partnership. That is,
00:28:02the state of Russia was sharing everything with Syria.
00:28:06Today there is a balance, there is a Syrian-Russian
00:28:09partnership, and as we mentioned, the base
00:28:12is no longer a Russian base, but rather a joint
00:28:16Syrian-Russian base on Syrian land. Secondly,
00:28:20establishing an equal relationship between Syria
00:28:23and Russia. Today, Minister Al-Shaibani and the Syrian
00:28:26state have completely established an equal
00:28:29relationship between Syria and Russia. Today, there are
00:28:33no American forces There are Russian forces,
00:28:37except those designated for training and with the consent
00:28:40of the Syrian army. And here is a note I want
00:28:43to add, as
00:28:46a military and security person, I
00:28:49prefer the presence
00:28:52does not scare us as a Syrian army or as a Syrian people. This base
00:28:56is surrounded by the new Syrian Arab Army,
00:29:00and the science of war today, there are
00:29:02several drones that can end the matter within minutes. It no longer
00:29:06concerns us to have several planes. Let them be, it doesn't matter to us,
00:29:10and Russia will not be able to maneuver or procrastinate.
00:29:13It knows today that the Syrian decision is a sovereign
00:29:17decision stemming from the patriotism of Syria, from
00:29:20a state that has
00:29:23country. It can rely
00:29:27on other sources, America other than America in its weapons. Russia is no longer
00:29:30the only country that can supply us with weapons
00:29:34and impose its opinion on us. So all these
00:29:37gains are being reaped by the Syrian government, of course,
00:29:41in addition to silencing the many voices
00:29:44that dreamed that Russia's presence on the coast
00:29:48was, for example, a source of support for some factions that might
00:29:52rely on it in some movement, in some
00:29:55hypothetical revolution. This has completely ended,
00:29:58and these are all gains for the Syrian state
00:30:01and the Syrian people. Yes, with a final question, Dr. Mahmoud,
00:30:04does handing over these points raise,
00:30:07perhaps in the future or after a short period, the level of diplomatic
00:30:11representation between Syria
00:30:12and Russia?
00:30:17diplomatic direction in particular, and there may be commercial cooperation
00:30:20by the way, and tourist cooperation. Efforts are being made,
00:30:24and I believe that any, I mean, Syrians
00:30:27are trying to arrange things. The Syrian embassy in
00:30:31Moscow, and by the end of the year we may hear
00:30:34about the appointment of a new diplomatic body in the embassy.
00:30:37And we should also mention that weeks ago, Syrian
00:30:41Air started its flights
00:30:44once a week from Damascus to Moscow. So
00:30:48there is a desire
00:30:51least commercial, civilian, tourist,
00:30:54diplomatic.
00:30:57But there is a presentation.