Russian Forces’ Pullout of Syria Proves Moscow Doesn’t Seek Boosting Its Military Influence in Region: Analyst

Russia does not seek to boost its military influence in the Middle East – after assisting the legitimate government of Syria to preserve sovereignty and integrity Moscow has started pulling out its troops of the region, Yang Mian, a political analyst at the Center for International Relations at the Chinese Institute of Communications, told Sputnik.

Russia’s decision to pull out of Syria indicates that Moscow has no intention to expand its sphere of influence, Yang Mian, a political analyst at the Center for International Relations at the Chinese Institute of Communications, told Sputnik China, adding that the Russian Army helped Syria preserve its statehood and sovereignty.

 “The war in Syria has been almost ended, Daesh [ISIS/ISIL] is defeated, the Syrian opposition also took part in the negotiations on the resolution of the problem. Russia’s Aerospace Forces have accomplished most of its tasks in Syria; besides, there is the issue of cost for a long-term maintenance of the military base. Therefore, under these circumstances, [President Vladimir] Putin’s decision to withdraw the military personnel [from Syria] was announced very opportunely,” Yang summarized.

The political analyst remarked that not all terrorist cells in Syria have been eradicated. According to Yang, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has gained enough experience to cope with such a problem.

The Chinese analyst also noted that the Russian armed forces’ successful operation against terrorists in Syria will be regarded as a great achievement of Putin on the eve of the upcoming 2018 presidential elections in Russia.

Yang suggested that Moscow’s decision to pull out of Syria will not have a big impact on the situation in the Middle Eastern country: “Russian tasks in Syria are fully implemented at this stage, and now the Syrian government  is capable of maintaining stability and security on its own.”

H.M