Russia established contact with the opposition group leading the overthrow of the Syrian president

Deputy Minister Bogdanov made the above announcement while speaking to journalists, according to Interfax News Agency. He added that Moscow wants to maintain two Russian military bases in Syria.

Mr. Bogdanov said that contacts with HTS were “progressing in a constructive direction”. HTS is the strongest opposition military force in Syria and led the overthrow of the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad last weekend, according to Reuters.

Also according to Mr. Bogdanov, Russia hopes HTS will fulfill its commitments “to combat all outrageous acts”, maintain order and ensure the safety of diplomats and other foreigners.

Mr. Bogdanov emphasized that Moscow hopes to maintain two Russian bases in Syria, including the naval base in Tartous and the Khmeimim air base near the port city of Latakia, to continue efforts to fight international terrorism.

“The bases are still there, where they used to be on Syrian territory. Currently, no other decisions have been made,” Interrfax quoted Mr. Bogdanov as saying.

He emphasized that maintaining the fight against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) “requires joint efforts and in this connection, our presence and the Khmeimim base play an important role in the fight against international terrorism in general”.

In addition, another Russian deputy foreign minister, Mr. Sergei Vershinin, and UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen called for measures to stabilize the situation in and around Syria, according to a Reuters statement. on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

According to the above statement, the two diplomats discussed by phone about finding a political solution in a way decided by the Syrian people and ensuring Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

There is currently no information on the reaction of representatives from HTS to the above statement from the Russian side.