President Al-Assad at Hmeimim Airbase: Russia Provided Weapons, Blood in Support of Syria

HMEIMIM, Lattakia, (ST)- President Bashar Al-Assad, Commander in Chief of the Syrian Arab Army and Armed Forces, on Tuesday visited Hmeimim airbase and inspected the Russian forces operating there.

Accompanied by Chief of  the General Staff of the Russian Army Valery Gerasimov and a number of Russian military commanders in the airbase, President Al-Assad inspected a number of aircraft and personnel carriers in addition to the military equipments and the different kinds of sophisticated weapons, including  the “SU-35” fighter jet, one of the most important warplanes in the world.

 The president was briefed by the Russian commanders on the armored vehicles in the airbase and met the military staff operating them. He also checked the weapons, equipments and documents found and collected by the Russian military in previously terrorist –held areas.

Following his tour in the airbase, President Al-Assad wrote note in the visitors book saying, as reported by SANA, that “with the utmost happiness and pride, today I visit Hmeimim military base and meet the heroic fighters and pilots who came from the friendly Russian Federation to Syria to contribute alongside their Syrian brethren, the heroes of the Syrian Arab Army, to defending righteousness, justice, rights of peoples that are recognized by international laws and human morals, and to join the Syrian people in defending their homeland, unity, sovereignty, resistance and in fighting against the terrorists who came from all over the world.”

President Al-Assad added that “Russia has provided weapons and ammunition to support Syria in its war against terrorism, but more importantly it has offered blood as well, which is the dearest thing a human being can give to fellow humans. The Syrian people will not forget that their Russian brethren stood alongside them in this patriotic war. Salute to all the Russian fighters and to the leadership of Hmeimim base and the Russian military leadership, and the biggest salute to President Vladimir Putin.”

Hamda Mustafa