Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Monday that he has ordered Russian forces to begin withdrawing from Syria, saying they have achieved their goals in the country.
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He has since ordered the pullback which will allow him to pose as a peacemaker and help ease tensions with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member Turkey and the Gulf monarchies vexed by Moscow’s military action.
A Russian air base and a naval facility will continue to function, he said in Moscow.
For almost six months, Russian Federation has mounted an air campaign backing up the Syria President Bashar Assad’s battle against opposition forces.
“I hope that today’s decision will be a good signal for all sides of the conflict [and that] it will significantly increase the level of trust for all participants of the peace process in Syria and provide for peaceful means to solve the Syrian issue”, Putin concluded.
“I consider the mission set for the Defence Ministry and the armed forces on the whole has been accomplished”, Mr Putin said at a meeting at the Kremlin.
The Syrian opposition cautiously welcomed the announcement of the Russian withdrawal. “It can not start with the presence of the regime, or the head of this regime still in power”, said Alloush.
“[The leaders] stressed the importance of close coordination of efforts on behalf of Russian and U.S. representatives, including in the military sphere, to maintain truce, provide for humanitarian aid supplies to cut-off [Syrian] residential areas and effective fight against terrorist groups”, the statement said.
“Our diplomacy has received marching orders to intensify our efforts to achieve a political settlement in Syria”, Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on Syria.
A Kremlin spokesman said that Mr Assad had been informed by Mr Putin of the Russian decision by phone.
Russia’s announcement comes as Syrian peace talks, sponsored by Russian Federation and the Untied States, began Monday in Geneva, the first talks in more than two years.
“We think it is an enormous mistake to refuse to cooperate with the Syrian government and its armed forces, who are valiantly fighting terrorism face to face”, he said back then.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Monday that he had not seen reports of Russia’s planned withdraw.
Vox foreign editor Max Fisher wrote online: “Obviously we’ll wait to see if Russian Federation follows through on withdrawal from Syria, but possibly quite a vindication for diplomacy if so”.
Shortly after it moved military forces into Syria and Russian Federation establish an air defense bubble for its fighters in October based around the air defense cruiser Moscow (or Moskov).
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But, despite what some say is growing evidence the Assad regime has committed numerous atrocities during the five-year war, the president’s resignation is not up for debate.
